ACX
Impact Market Mini-Grants Update
Scott updates readers on the Impact Market Mini-Grants project, detailing recent developments and the project timeline.
4 min read 578 words
The reader’s shortlist
Worth a second thought.
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2,008 essaysACX
[LINK] Unifying Predictive Coding With Backpropagation
Scott Alexander discusses recent research unifying predictive coding in the brain with backpropagation in machine learning, exploring its implications for AI and neuroscience.
4 min read 540 words
ACX
Mantic Monday: Scoring Rule Controversy
Scott Alexander examines the Metaculus scoring rule controversy and the challenges of long-term prediction markets, discussing potential solutions and their limitations.
12 min read 1,745 words
ACX
Your Book Review: The Accidental Superpower
A review of Peter Zeihan's 'The Accidental Superpower', which predicts global disorder and American preeminence based on geographic and demographic advantages.
63 min read 9,642 words
LW
2013 Census/Survey: call for changes and additions
Scott announces the 2013 LessWrong Census/Survey and requests community input for minor changes, particularly seeking better IQ and Big Five tests and asking CFAR about their previous questions.
2 min read 201 words
LW
Voluntary Behavior, Conscious Thoughts
Scott presents Skinner's definition of voluntary behavior as that which is transparent to reinforcement, then extends this framework to explain the perceived unity of consciousness and the feeling of a core 'self'.
7 min read 1,033 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Great Families
Scott summarizes reader comments on his 'Secrets of the Great Families' post, covering additional examples, statistical discussions, and personal perspectives on family achievement.
40 min read 6,147 words
ACX
Please Take The Reader Survey [Update: Now It Is Closed And You Can Stop Taking It]
Scott Alexander describes a now-closed reader survey project supporting ACX community studies, with instructions on survey completion and content warnings.
5 min read 736 words
ACX
Your Book Review: Through The Eye Of A Needle
The review examines Peter Brown's book on the transformation of Western Europe and North Africa from pagan to Christian society (350-550 AD), focusing on wealth in churches and societal changes.
36 min read 5,557 words
LW
Solutions to Political Problems As Counterfactuals
Scott analyzes why some proposed political solutions feel wrong or useless by examining them as counterfactuals, arguing that valid solutions must involve modifying nodes you can actually influence rather than wishfully changing things you have no power over.
12 min read 1,787 words
ACX
COVID Suicides: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Scott Alexander directs readers to his essay on Works in Progress examining why suicide rates didn't increase during the COVID-19 pandemic as expected.
1 min read 21 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On "Crazy Like Us"
Scott discusses reader comments on his 'Crazy Like Us' book review, covering topics like PTSD, cultural influences on mental illness, and cross-cultural prevalence of schizophrenia.
34 min read 5,184 words
ACX
Mantic Monday 4/18/22
Scott reviews recent changes in prediction markets covering the Ukraine war, nuclear risk, AI development, and other current events.
15 min read 2,264 words
ACX
Mantic Monday 7/26
Scott reviews recent developments in prediction markets, including COVID-19 forecasts, the launch of Kalshi, and Metaculus' new hiring initiative.
14 min read 2,168 words
ACX
Your Book Review: Kora In Hell
A detailed review of William Carlos Williams' 'Kora in Hell: Improvisations', analyzing its structure, themes, and literary context within modernist poetry.
21 min read 3,248 words
LW
Why Support the Underdog?
Scott examines the universal human bias toward supporting underdogs, presents evidence it significantly influences opinions, and asks why evolution would favor such an apparently irrational strategy.
6 min read 781 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Diseasonality
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his 'Diseasonality' article, exploring various aspects of disease seasonality across different viruses and geographical locations.
13 min read 1,969 words
ACX
Your Book Review: Plagues And Peoples
The review analyzes 'Plagues and Peoples' by William H. McNeill, which presents human history as shaped by the interaction between humans, microparasites, and societal structures.
29 min read 4,492 words
LW
Crowley on Religious Experience
Scott presents Aleister Crowley's rationalist approach to mysticism and religious experience, arguing that Crowley's empirically-focused system for achieving enlightenment offers valuable insights that both religious and rationalist perspectives typically miss.
6 min read 881 words
LW
Bay Solstice 2022 Call For Volunteers
Scott announces the Bay Area Winter Solstice 2022 event and calls for volunteers for both logistics tasks (AV, lighting, ushering) and creative tasks (speeches, songs).
2 min read 298 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Self-Determination
Scott Alexander discusses various perspectives on self-determination, addressing issues like status quo bias, group rights, and the complexities of applying consistent principles to secession cases.
24 min read 3,625 words
ACX
Peer Review Request: Ketamine
Scott Alexander provides a comprehensive guide on ketamine as a depression treatment, covering administration methods, effectiveness, safety, dosage, and potential side effects.
48 min read 7,352 words
ACX
Predictions For 2022
Scott Alexander shares his predictions for 2022 on various topics, comments on predictions from other sources, and announces a prediction contest for readers.
15 min read 2,236 words
LW
Philosophers and seeking answers
Scott explores whether philosophers genuinely seek answers or prefer endless debate, noting that while philosophy generates many solutions to problems, it lacks mechanisms like scientific experimentation to settle which solutions are correct.
3 min read 387 words
ACX
Mantic Monday: Dogs In Wizard Hats
Scott discusses recent developments in prediction markets, including new platforms, features, and current market predictions on various topics.
17 min read 2,603 words