A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “Seeing Like A State”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott Alexander provides fifteen pieces of writing advice for aspiring bloggers, emphasizing authenticity, avoiding microdishonesty, mastering basic disciplines before breaking rules, and finding original angles on common topics rather than recycling blogosphere content.
Scott Alexander examines a study showing that Napoleonic reforms led to better economic outcomes, challenging the idea that evolved systems are always superior to designed ones.
Scott Alexander explores why users of a simple dating site often fail to indicate interest online but agree to dates in person, suggesting that the difficulty of asking someone out serves as a valuable signal.