ACX
Bride Of Bay Area House Party
Scott Alexander satirizes Bay Area culture through a fictional house party featuring absurd startup ideas and social trends.
20 min read 3,066 words
A thread through the archive
social justice
Essays tagged “social justice”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on social justice
26 essaysACX
Links For July 2023
A diverse collection of links and news items from July 2023, covering topics from historical curiosities to current technological and social developments.
24 min read 3,581 words
ACX
The Rise And Fall Of Online Culture Wars
Scott Alexander examines the evolution of online culture wars from atheism to feminism to race, analyzing the dynamics of these shifts and speculating on future trends.
65 min read 10,054 words
SSC
What Intellectual Progress Did I Make In The 2010s?
Scott Alexander reviews his intellectual progress in the 2010s across various fields, crediting his blog for accelerating learning.
32 min read 4,854 words
SSC
New Atheism: The Godlessness That Failed
Scott Alexander examines the rise and fall of New Atheism, arguing it was replaced by social justice as the dominant online 'hamartiology' explaining society's problems.
39 min read 5,951 words
SSC
Against Lie Inflation
Scott Alexander argues against broadening the definitions of words like 'lie' and 'abuse', as it dilutes their meaning and reduces their usefulness in identifying problematic behavior.
14 min read 2,119 words
SSC
Gay Rites Are Civil Rites
Scott Alexander compares the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade to traditional civic and religious celebrations, arguing that it has evolved into a form of civil religion similar to American patriotism.
24 min read 3,651 words
SSC
The APA Meeting: A Photo-Essay
Scott Alexander humorously describes his observations at the American Psychiatric Association meeting, highlighting pharmaceutical influence, social justice focus, and historical context of psychiatry.
30 min read 4,622 words
SSC
Against Overgendering Harassment
The post criticizes the gendered framing of sexual harassment, presenting statistics on male victims and female perpetrators, and argues for a more balanced approach to the issue.
15 min read 2,309 words
SSC
How Did New Atheism Fail So Miserably?
Scott Alexander examines the puzzling downfall of New Atheism, comparing it to other progressive movements and questioning why it alone faced backlash for repeating accepted ideas in liberal circles.
11 min read 1,568 words
SSC
Targeting Meritocracy
Scott Alexander defends true meritocracy against misguided critiques, arguing for a system based on demonstrated ability rather than educational credentials.
13 min read 1,877 words
SSC
Learning To Love Scientific Consensus
Scott Alexander examines his evolving view on scientific consensus, realizing it's more reliable and self-correcting than he previously thought.
40 min read 6,075 words
SSC
Sacred Principles As Exhaustible Resources
Scott Alexander argues that overusing free speech to defend controversial figures may lead to a backlash against the principle itself, potentially depleting it as a societal resource.
7 min read 1,046 words
SSC
SSC Endorses Clinton, Johnson, Or Stein
Scott Alexander endorses Clinton (or Johnson/Stein in safe states) over Trump, citing concerns about Trump's unpredictability and potential negative impacts on conservatism and social dynamics.
34 min read 5,167 words
SSC
Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth
Scott Alexander criticizes mainstream media's recent focus on 'coddled' college students in social justice debates, arguing it overlooks more serious issues and reflects a bias towards elite academic perspectives.
12 min read 1,783 words
SSC
Fearful Symmetry
Scott Alexander examines the parallels between social justice and anti-social justice groups, arguing that shared experiences of perceived persecution could lead to better understanding and less conflict.
45 min read 6,866 words
SSC
The Future Is Filters
Scott examines the potential future of online content filtering technology, considering its benefits, drawbacks, and societal implications.
12 min read 1,721 words
SSC
Links 3/15: Duke of URL
A collection of interesting links covering research studies, social issues, economic trends and cultural phenomena that challenged expectations.
15 min read 2,289 words
SSC
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
SSC
Untitled
Scott Alexander critiques feminist stereotyping of nerds, arguing that nerds' social struggles are real and not simply male entitlement.
99 min read 15,219 words
SSC
Nobody Is Perfect, Everything Is Commensurable
Scott Alexander argues that donating 10% of income to effective charities is a more impactful way to do good than political activism, and recommends joining Giving What We Can.
24 min read 3,585 words
SSC
Radicalizing the Romanceless
Scott Alexander critiques feminist discourse around 'nice guys', arguing it can be unfair and counterproductive, potentially driving lonely men towards anti-feminist ideologies.
49 min read 7,509 words
SSC
Social Justice And Words, Words, Words
Scott Alexander critiques social justice terminology, arguing that words like 'privilege' and 'racism' are used as weapons rather than tools for understanding.
27 min read 4,178 words
SSC
The Wonderful Thing About Triggers
Scott Alexander defends trigger warnings as tools for informed choice, not censorship, and criticizes arguments against them, especially those based on non-consensual exposure therapy.
15 min read 2,216 words
SSC
A Response To Apophemi on Triggers
Scott Alexander responds to an essay about trigger warnings in rationalist spaces, arguing that the community's purpose is dispassionate discussion and that everyone, not just marginalized groups, has triggers.
47 min read 7,238 words