SSC
Too Many People Dare Call It Conspiracy
Scott Alexander explores the overuse of the term 'conspiracy theory' and provides heuristics for evaluating the plausibility of conspiratorial claims.
19 min read 2,801 words
A thread through the archive
Trivers' theory of self-deception
Essays tagged “Trivers' theory of self-deception”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on Trivers' theory of self-deception
3 essaysLW
Tendencies in reflective equilibrium
Scott explores how people's moral intuitions often conflict and can be reconciled through reflective equilibrium, using the example of inconsistent punishment judgments for theft by people of different socioeconomic classes.
9 min read 1,298 words
LW
Ego syntonic thoughts and values
Scott explains how the brain presents socially acceptable desires as genuine values (ego syntonic) and unacceptable ones as external compulsions (ego dystonic) to improve social signaling, with willpower representing the balance between these forces.
8 min read 1,121 words