SSC
1960: The Year The Singularity Was Cancelled
Scott examines hyperbolic growth models in population and economics, their apparent cancellation around 1960, and speculates on AI's potential to restart such growth.
24 min read 3,673 words
The reader’s shortlist
Worth a second thought.
Essays ranked by captured source likes. Essays without a saved count are listed last.
Most liked essays
2,008 essaysSSC
2014 Predictions: Calibration Results
Scott Alexander evaluates his 2014 predictions, finding himself well-calibrated across various confidence levels, and jokingly declares himself trustworthy on all matters.
7 min read 974 words
SSC
2014 SSC Survey Results
Scott Alexander shares results from a 2014 survey of Slate Star Codex readers, detailing demographics, education, income, and views of his blog audience.
6 min read 850 words
SSC
2015 Predictions: Calibration Results
Scott Alexander evaluates the accuracy of his 2015 predictions, finding overall good calibration and considering it a successful year.
7 min read 991 words
SSC
2016 Nootropics Survey Results
Scott Alexander presents results from a survey of 850 people rating various nootropics, showing a range of perceived effectiveness and exploring addiction potential for some substances.
11 min read 1,606 words
SSC
2016 Predictions: Calibration Results
Scott Alexander evaluates his 2016 predictions, finding good overall calibration with slight underconfidence at 70% probability, consistent with previous years.
11 min read 1,634 words
SSC
2017 Predictions: Calibration Results
Scott Alexander evaluates his 2017 predictions, analyzing his accuracy and calibration across different confidence levels.
14 min read 2,077 words
SSC
2018 Predictions: Calibration Results
Scott Alexander evaluates his 2018 predictions, analyzing his accuracy and discussing factors that affected his performance.
12 min read 1,852 words
SSC
2019 Adversarial Collaboration Entries
Scott Alexander presents the eight entries for the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest, explaining the concept and announcing a future reader vote.
3 min read 384 words
SSC
2019 Adversarial Collaboration Winners
Scott Alexander announces the winners of the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest and reviews all entries, praising their strengths and noting their impact on readers.
14 min read 2,111 words
SSC
2019 Predictions: Calibration Results
Scott Alexander reviews and analyzes his 2019 predictions, finding he was generally well-calibrated but slightly underconfident across all confidence levels.
12 min read 1,769 words
SSC
Sleep
Scott Alexander discusses his brain's arbitrary division of sleep into 'sleep mode' and 'nap mode', which interferes with establishing a normal sleep schedule, and asks for others' experiences and solutions.
4 min read 508 words
SSC
2D:4D Ratio And Psychological Traits: Results From The LW/SSC Survey Sample
Scott Alexander analyzes 2D:4D ratio data from LW/SSC surveys, finding unexpected correlations with feminism and masculinity, despite failing to replicate basic gender differences in digit ratios.
10 min read 1,434 words
SSC
3/4
Scott Alexander shares his experiences and reflections as a final-year psychiatric resident, discussing communication techniques, challenges in psychotherapy, and the anxiety of managing patient risks.
23 min read 3,531 words
SSC
5-HTTLPR: A Pointed Review
Scott examines how the 5-HTTLPR gene was wrongly linked to depression for years, discussing the implications for psychiatric research and genetic testing products.
22 min read 3,284 words
SSC
90% of all claims about the problems with medical studies are wrong
Scott Alexander examines the claim that '90% of medical research is false', arguing it's an exaggeration while acknowledging real issues in the field.
24 min read 3,699 words
SSC
A Cascade Of Dunbar Numbers
Scott Alexander discusses the challenges of community growth, relating his experiences with micronations and rationalist groups to theories about natural group size limits.
11 min read 1,560 words
SSC
A Comment I Posted On “What Would JT Do?”
Scott Alexander, though pro-gay rights, criticizes the suspension of Phil Robertson for his comments, arguing for broader societal tolerance of differing views beyond legal requirements.
5 min read 735 words
SSC
A Completely Accurate Map With No Distortion At All
Scott presents a distorted map of Europe as a riddle, challenging readers to reconsider their perceptions and solve the puzzle.
1 min read 98 words
SSC
A Critical Period For Lactation Fetishes
Scott Alexander analyzes a study on lactation fetishes and its critical window theory, using his own survey data to suggest an alternative explanation based on birth order effects.
6 min read 790 words
SSC
A defense of logical positivism (yes, really)
Scott Alexander defends logical positivism, arguing that despite its flaws, it points to useful ideas about dividing meaningful statements into scientific and logical categories.
8 min read 1,217 words
SSC
A Failure, But Not Of Prediction
Scott Alexander argues that the media's failure in coronavirus coverage was not about prediction, but about poor probabilistic reasoning and decision-making under uncertainty.
28 min read 4,215 words
SSC
A good pun is its own reword
Scott Alexander explores what makes puns truly great, providing numerous examples and discussing various types of exceptional wordplay.
8 min read 1,112 words
SSC
SSC
A Letter I Will Probably Send To The FDA
Scott Alexander drafts a letter to the FDA arguing against their decision to halt 23andMe's genetic testing services, highlighting the benefits and addressing the FDA's concerns.
14 min read 2,049 words