SSC
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religion
Essays tagged “religion”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on religion
45 essaysSSC
Is Everything A Religion?
Scott Alexander examines the trend of labeling various ideologies as 'religions', arguing that this approach is often overly broad and potentially misleading.
11 min read 1,621 words
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Links 1/2014: Link, For You Know Not Whence You Came Nor Why
A collection of interesting links covering topics like Chinese religion, economics, science, and technology, with commentary on their broader implications.
15 min read 2,188 words
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There Are Rules Here
Scott explores why conservative religious movements thrive while liberal ones decline, suggesting that strict rules and commitments strengthen communities, and considers this in the context of atheist religion-substitutes.
11 min read 1,610 words
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All In All, Another Brick In The Motte
Scott Alexander explains the 'motte and bailey doctrine', a rhetorical fallacy, providing examples and comparing it to the 'weak man fallacy'.
10 min read 1,543 words
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Five Planets In Search Of A Sci-Fi Story
Scott Alexander describes five fictional planets, each with a unique societal quirk that explores different sci-fi concepts and social commentary.
8 min read 1,160 words
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List Of The Passages I Highlighted In My Copy Of Jonathan Haidt’s “The Righteous Mind”
Scott Alexander shares and briefly comments on various insightful quotes from Jonathan Haidt's 'The Righteous Mind', covering topics like psychology, politics, and religion.
11 min read 1,609 words
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Nerds Can Be Bees, Too
Scott Alexander explores the concept of the 'hive switch' in nerds, realizing that they can experience group unity when they find the right in-group.
12 min read 1,784 words
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Weak Men Are Superweapons
Scott Alexander examines how 'weak men' arguments can be weaponized to unfairly discredit entire groups, forcing defensive coalitions and unnecessary conflicts.
20 min read 2,956 words
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More Links For February 2014
Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of interesting links on topics ranging from meditation to global poverty, offering brief summaries and personal commentary.
9 min read 1,261 words
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[REPOST] A Christmas Poem
Scott Alexander shares a humorous Christmas poem parodying Dr. Seuss and the biblical story of King Herod, exploring the true meaning of Christmas.
4 min read 523 words
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Less Wrong, More Rite (II)
Scott Alexander discusses the Rationalist Solstice Ritual, exploring how 'cringeworthiness' can strengthen communities and the challenges atheists face in community-building.
14 min read 2,093 words
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Links for November
Scott shares and comments on various interesting links, ranging from charity history and religious debates to scientific discoveries and technological developments.
8 min read 1,134 words
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The Hospital Orientation
Scott Alexander provides a satirical account of a hospital orientation, highlighting its various absurdities and contradictions.
5 min read 639 words
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The What-You’d-Implicitly-Heard-Before Telling Thing
Scott critiques Chesterton's 'truth-telling thing' argument, suggesting that religion's apparent coherence stems from cultural conditioning rather than inherent truth.
8 min read 1,166 words
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Raikoth: History, Religion
The post describes the fictional world of Raikoth, its origin story, and its unique religion that combines aspects of Truth and Beauty.
8 min read 1,100 words
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Raikoth: Corruption, Priesthood
The post details the Third Eye surveillance system and Priesthood of Truth in the fictional society of Raikoth, exploring how these institutions work to prevent corruption and maintain social order.
9 min read 1,389 words
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Selection bias and atheist stereotypes
Scott Alexander explores how selection bias might create the stereotype of angry, vocal atheists, and speculates on how this concept might apply to other groups.
4 min read 620 words
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RPG emergency!
Scott Alexander urgently seeks a new 'Apologist' player for a Dungeons and Discourse game session happening within five hours.
2 min read 217 words
LW
Diplomacy as a Game Theory Laboratory
Scott analyzes seven game theory concepts through his experiences playing Diplomacy, demonstrating how trust, enforcement mechanisms, revenge, and coalition-building work in practice, then proposes organizing a game among Less Wrong readers.
25 min read 3,818 words