ACX
Try The 2025 ACX/Metaculus Forecasting Contest
The 2025 ACX/Metaculus Forecasting Contest is now open, featuring 36 questions and a particular focus on comparing forecasting bots with human predictors.
3 min read 351 words
The reader’s shortlist
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2,008 essaysACX
Your Book Review: Humankind
A critical review of Rutger Bregman's 'Humankind', analyzing its argument that human nature is fundamentally good, while highlighting both flaws and valuable insights in the book.
50 min read 7,635 words
LW
Bargaining and Auctions
Scott explains the economics of bargaining and auctions, showing how prices emerge from negotiations between buyers and sellers when both parties lack perfect information about supply and demand.
15 min read 2,248 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Acemoglu And AI
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his AI risk post, discussing AI self-awareness, narrow vs. general AI, catastrophe probabilities, and research priorities.
37 min read 5,613 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Aducanumab
Scott Alexander reviews comments on his posts about aducanumab and the FDA, acknowledging some mistakes while defending his overall critique of FDA conservatism.
40 min read 6,181 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Health Care Systems
Scott Alexander compiles reader comments on healthcare systems in various countries, discussing economics, drug pricing, and personal experiences.
59 min read 9,034 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On IRBs
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to comments on his book review about IRBs, covering various perspectives on research regulation.
52 min read 8,030 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On My California Ballot
Scott Alexander shares reader comments on his California ballot recommendations, updating some of his views and providing additional context on various races and propositions.
21 min read 3,107 words
ACX
Mantic Monday 7/11/22
The post examines prediction markets for Trump's 2024 chances, Musk's Twitter deal, and the impact of the Dobbs decision, while also discussing new forecasting initiatives and other current events.
12 min read 1,791 words
ACX
What Do Treatments For Accelerated Aging Tell Us About Normal Aging?
Scott Alexander examines the treatment for progeria and its potential implications for understanding and treating normal aging processes.
7 min read 939 words
ACX
Your Book Review: Double Fold
The review examines Nicholson Baker's 'Double Fold', a critique of libraries replacing original books and newspapers with inferior microfilm copies.
47 min read 7,145 words
LW
Antagonizing Opioid Receptors for (Prevention of) Fun and Profit
Scott explains how the Sinclair Method treats alcoholism by using naltrexone to block the brain's reward response to alcohol, breaking the learned association between drinking and pleasure through temporal difference learning.
9 min read 1,281 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On The Repugnant Conclusion And WWOTF
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to comments on his review of 'What We Owe The Future', addressing debates around population ethics, longtermism, and moral philosophy.
38 min read 5,888 words
ACX
ACX Classifieds 9/23
Scott announces a classifieds thread on his blog, explaining posting rules and providing related resources.
1 min read 145 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On March Links
Scott Alexander reviews and responds to reader comments on various topics from his March Links post, providing additional context and clarifications.
18 min read 2,780 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Orban
Scott Alexander discusses reader responses to his review of Viktor Orban's leadership in Hungary, exploring debates around authoritarianism, democracy, and effective governance.
49 min read 7,518 words
ACX
Links For April
Scott Alexander shares 35 diverse links covering scientific studies, historical facts, cultural observations, and technological developments.
18 min read 2,718 words
ACX
Links For June
Scott Alexander presents a monthly collection of 42 diverse links covering topics from science, politics, culture, and technology, highlighting interesting findings and current events.
23 min read 3,442 words
ACX
Play Money And Reputation Systems
Scott analyzes play money and reputation systems in prediction markets, discussing their designs, challenges, and potential improvements.
17 min read 2,522 words
ACX
When Does Worrying About Things Trade Off Against Worrying About Other Things?
Scott Alexander analyzes and criticizes arguments that claim worrying about one issue trades off against worrying about another, particularly in the context of AI risks.
12 min read 1,852 words
LW
Are You a Solar Deity?
Scott uses Littledale's satire proving Max Muller was a solar myth to show how comparative methods can prove anything, and asks how to tell true correspondences from false ones.
8 min read 1,221 words
ACX
ACX Survey Results 2024
Scott Alexander shares the results of the 2024 Astral Codex Ten survey, providing access to data and promising future analyses.
3 min read 393 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Brain Waves
Scott summarizes interesting comments on his 'Rhythms of the Brain' book review, covering various aspects of brain waves and related topics.
27 min read 4,056 words
ACX
Mantic Monday 3/14/22
Scott analyzes Ukraine prediction markets, nuclear war risk forecasts, and compares forecasters to experts, along with various updates on prediction platforms.
16 min read 2,456 words
ACX
Vote In The 2024 Book Review Contest
Scott Alexander opens voting for the 2024 Book Review Contest, explaining the approval voting system and listing the finalists.
3 min read 325 words