Astral Codex Ten Podcast
Episodes
[Classic] Reporter Degrees of Freedom
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Reporter Degrees Of Freedom I. A sample of Thursday's talk at Yale These are four headlines describing the same study, Milkie, Nomaguchi and Den...
[Classic] How The West Was Won
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/07/25/how-the-west-was-won/ I. Someone recently linked me to Bryan Caplan's post A Hardy Weed: How Traditionalists...
[Classic] Reverse Voxsplaining: Drugs vs. Chairs
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/08/29/reverse-voxsplaining-drugs-vs-chairs/ [Content note: this is pretty much a rehash of things I've said befor...
[Classic] A Modern Myth
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/27/a-modern-myth/ 1. Eris A middle-aged man, James, had come on stage believing it was an audition for American...
[Classic] A Theory About Religion
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/04/08/a-theory-of-religion/ Related to Monday's post but spun off for length reasons: my crazy theory about where...
Here Are The Nine Ways The Election Could End
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarscratchpad.tumblr.com/post/633822178059730944/here-are-the-nine-ways-the-election-could-end You are Joseph R. Biden Jr. You si...
[Classic] The Ideology Is Not The Movement
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I. Why is there such a strong Sunni/Shia divide? I know the Comparative Religion 101 answer. The early Muslims were debating who was the rightful cali...
[Meetup Audio] Jason Crawford: "The Non-Linear Model of Innovation"
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week the SSC Meetup features guest speaker Jason Crawford, author the blog The Roots of Progress, discussing 'the non-linear model of innovation....
[Classic] Weak Men Are Superweapons
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I. There was an argument on Tumblr which, like so many arguments on Tumblr, was terrible. I will rephrase it just a little to make a point. Alice said...
[Classic] Skin in the Game
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I. One of the most interesting responses I got to my post supporting the junior doctors strike was by Salem, who said that this situation was (eth...
[Meetup Audio] David Friedman: "Legal Systems Very Different from Ours"
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David Friedman on Legal Systems Very Different from Ours: A brief survey of a range of legal system, past and present, from Imperial China and Pericle...
[Classic] In The Future, Everyone Will Be Famous To Fifteen People
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Epistemic status: not very serious] [Content note: May make you feel overly scrutinized] Sometimes I hear people talking about how nobody notices the...
[Classic] The Lottery of Fascinations
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I. Suppose I were to come out tomorrow as gay. I have amazing and wonderful friends, and I certainly wouldn't expect them to hate me forever or tell m...
[Meetup Audio] Diana Fleischman: Integrating Evolutionary Psychology and Behaviorism
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Integrating Evolutionary Psychology and Behaviorism Summary - All of us want to change other people's behavior to align more closely with our goals. ...
[Classic] Freedom On The Centralized Web
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I. A lot of libertarians and anarcho-capitalists envision a future of small corporate states competing for migrants and capital by trying to have the ...
[Classic] Against Interminable Arguments
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Epistemic status: something I've been thinking about recently. There's a lot of complication around these issues and this is more to start a discussi...
[Meetup Audio] Connor Leahy on GPT-3 as an AI Fire Alarm
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Connor Leahy discusses the idea of an 'AGI Fire Alarm' and argues GPT-3 might be the last such warning we'll receive before it's too late to act.
[Classic] Should You Reverse Any Advice You Hear?
13 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Suppose a lot of that stuff about bravery debates is right. That lots of the advice people give is useful for some people, but that the opposite adv...
Update on my Situation
13 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's been two and a half months since I deleted the blog, so I owe all of you an update on recent events. I haven't heard anything from the New York...
[Classic] SSC Gives A Graduation Speech
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Trigger warning: deliberately provoking horror about graduates' real-world post-college prospects. Epistemic status: intended as persuasive spee...
[Classic] Yes, We Have Noticed The Skulls
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
[Related: Tyler Cowen on rationalists, Noah Smith on rationalists, Will Wilkinson on rationalists, etc] If I were an actor in an improv show, and m...
NYT Is Threatening My Safety By Revealing My Real Name, So I Am Deleting The Blog
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
So, I kind of deleted the blog. Sorry. Here's my explanation. Last week I talked to a New York Times technology reporter who was planning to write a...
Slightly Skew Systems of Government
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/17/slightly-skew-systems-of-government/ [Related To: Legal Systems Very Different From Ours Because I Just Made T...
Open Thread 156.25 + Signal Boost for Steve Hsu
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/16/open-thread-156-25/ Normally this would be a hidden thread, but I wanted to signal boost this request for he...
The Vision of Vilazodone and Vortioxetine
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/15/the-vision-of-vilazodone-and-vortioxetine/ I. One of psychiatry's many embarrassments is how many of our dru...
Wordy Wernicke's
13 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/11/wordy-wernickes/ There are two major brain areas involved in language. To oversimplify, Wernicke's area in th...
[Classic] Proving Too Much
13 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/04/13/proving-too-much/ The fallacy of Proving Too Much is when you challenge an argument because, in addition to pr...
The Obligatory GPT-3 Post
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/10/the-obligatory-gpt-3-post/ I. I would be failing my brand if I didn't write something about GPT-3, but I'm no...
Take the New Nootropics Survey
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago I surveyed nootropics users about their experiences with different substances and posted the results here. Since then lots of new no...
Problems With Paywalls
06 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/04/problems-with-paywalls/ I. I hate paywalls on articles. Absolutely hate them. A standard pro-business argumen...
Book Review: Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/01/book-review-origin-of-consciousness-in-the-breakdown-of-the-bicameral-mind/ I. Julian Jaynes' The Origin Of Co...
Bush Did North Dakota
31 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/28/bush-did-north-dakota/ Continuing yesterday's discussion of fake news: Guess et al says that 46% percent of...
[Classic] Guided by the Beauty of Our Weapons
30 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/24/guided-by-the-beauty-of-our-weapons/ [Content note: kind of talking around Trump supporters and similar grou...
Creationism, Unchallenged
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/28/creationism-unchallenged/ How much should responsible news organizations report on stupid things? If they don...
"My Immortal" As Alchemical Allegory
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/26/my-immortal-as-alchemical-allegory/ I. From Vox: Solving The Mystery Of The Internet's Most Beloved And Not...
Coronalinks 5/18/20: When All You Have Is a Hammer, Everything Starts Looking Like a Dance
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/18/coronalinks-5-18-20-when-all-you-have-is-a-hammer-everything-starts-looking-like-a-dance/ It is the sixty-first...
[Classic] Cardiologists and Chinese Robbers
16 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/09/16/cardiologists-and-chinese-robbers/ I. It takes a special sort of person to be a cardiologist. This is not al...
Studies on Slack
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/12/studies-on-slack/ I. Imagine a distant planet full of eyeless animals. Evolving eyes is hard: they need to ev...
Book Review Contest: Call for Entries
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/05/book-review-contest-call-for-entries/ Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write a book revie...
[Classic] The Goddess of Everything Else
02 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/08/17/the-goddess-of-everything-else-2/ [Related to: Specific vs. General Foragers vs. Farmers and War In Heaven, ...
Predictions for 2020
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/29/predictions-for-2020/ At the beginning of every year, I make predictions. At the end of every year, I score...
Give Yourself Gout for Fame and Profit
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/27/give-yourself-gout-for-fame-and-profit/ I. Actually, no. You should not do this. Most of you were probably a...
Employer Provided Health Care Delenda Est
25 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/24/employer-provided-health-insurance-delenda-est/ My last post didn't really go to deep into why I dislike the ...
The Amish Health Care System
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/20/the-amish-health-care-system/ I. Amish people spend only a fifth as much as you do on health care, and their...
Depression: The Olfactory Perspective
17 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/17/depression-the-olfactory-perspective/ Depressed people have worse sense of smell, and people with worse sens...
A Failure, but Not of Prediction
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/14/a-failure-but-not-of-prediction/ I. Vox asks What Went Wrong With The Media's Coronavirus Coverage? They c...
Coronalinks 4/10: Second Derivative
12 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/10/coronalinks-4-10-second-derivative/ The second derivative is the rate of growth of the rate of growth. Over the...
2019 Predictions: Calibration Results
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/08/2019-predictions-calibration-results/ At the beginning of every year, I make predictions. At the end of ever...
Never Tell Me the Odds (Ratio)
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/07/never-tell-me-the-odds-ratio/ [Epistemic status: low confidence, someone tell me if the math is off. Title was ...
SSCJC: Real World Depression Measurement
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/06/sscjc-real-world-depression-measurement/ The largest non-pharma antidepressant trial ever conducted just confir...
Book Review: The Precipice
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/01/book-review-the-precipice/ I. It is a well known fact that the gods hate prophets. False prophets they punish...
SSC Journal Club: MacIntyre on Cloth Masks
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/31/ssc-journal-club-macintyre-on-cloth-masks/ Content warning: this is a complicated analysis of something peop...
Legal Systems Very Different From Ours, Because I Just Made Them Up
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/30/legal-systems-very-different-from-ours-because-i-just-made-them-up/ [with apologies to the real Legal Syste...
Coronalinks 3/27/20: We're Number One
28 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/27/coronalinks-3-27-20/ The United States now has more coronavirus cases than any other country, including Chin...
Face Masks: Much More Than You Wanted to Know
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ There's been recent controversy about the use of face masks fo...
Coronalinks 3/19/20
21 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/19/coronalinks-3-19-20/ As before, feel free to treat this as an open thread for all coronavirus-related issues....
Book Review: Hoover
21 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/17/book-review-hoover/ You probably remember Herbert Hoover as the guy who bungled the Great Depression. Maybe you ...
For, Then Against, High-Saturated-Fat Diets
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/10/for-then-against-high-saturated-fat-diets/ I. In the 1800s, the average US man weighed about 155 lbs. Today, ...
[Classic] Book Review: Surfing Uncertainty
08 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/09/05/book-review-surfing-uncertainty/ [Related to: It's Bayes All The Way Up, Why Are Transgender People Immune...
Socratic Grilling
07 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/06/socratic-grilling/ Imagine an kid in school first hearing about germ theory. The conversation might go someth...
Coronavirus: Links, Speculation, Open Thread
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/02/coronavirus-links-speculation-open-thread/ [Epistemic status: Very weak – I'm still trying to figure all ...
Book Review: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/27/book-review-the-seven-principles-for-making-marriage-work/ I. John Gottman is a legendary figure, and the le...
Book Review: Just Giving
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/24/book-review-just-giving/ I. Traditional book reviews tend to focus on a single book, such as Just Giving by...
Sleep Support: An Individual Randomized Controlled Trial
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/17/sleep-support-an-individual-randomized-controlled-trial/ I worry my sleep quality isn't great. On weekends, ...
Addendum to "Targeting Meritocracy"
16 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/14/addendum-to-targeting-meritocracy/ I've always been dissatisfied with Targeting Meritocracy and the comme...
Confirmation Bias As Misfire of Normal Bayesian Reasoning
15 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/12/confirmation-bias-as-misfire-of-normal-bayesian-reasoning/ From the subreddit: Humans Are Hardwired To Dism...
Welcome (?), Infowars Readers
15 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/12/welcome-infowars-readers/ Hello to all the new readers I've gotten from, uh, Paul Watson of Infowars. Before any...
Autogenderphilia Is Common and Not Especially Related to Transgender
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/10/autogenderphilia-is-common-and-not-especially-related-to-transgender/ "Autogynephilia" means becoming arouse...
Suicide Hotspots of the World
09 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/02/05/suicide-hotspots-of-the-world/ [Content warning: suicide, rape, child abuse. Thanks to MC for some help with...
Book Review: Human Compatible
02 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/30/book-review-human-compatible/ I. Clarke's First Law goes: When a distinguished but elderly scientist states...
Assortative Mating and Autism
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/28/assortative-mating-and-autism/ Introduction Assortative mating is when similar people marry and have childre...
Book Review Review: Little Soldiers
26 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/22/book-review-review-little-soldiers/ Little Soldiers is a book by Lenora Chu about the Chinese education sy...
SSC Survey Results 2020
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/20/ssc-survey-results-2020/ Thanks to the 8,043 people who took the 2020 Slate Star Codex survey. See the quest...
Contra Contra Contra Caplan on Psych
18 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/15/contra-contra-contra-caplan-on-psych/ I. In 2006, Bryan Caplan wrote a critique of psychiatry. In 2015, I ...
2019 Adversarial Collaboration Winners
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/13/2019-adversarial-collaboration-winners/ Thanks to everyone who participated and/or voted in the 2019 Advers...
What Intellectual Progress Did I Make in the 2010s?
11 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/08/what-intellectual-progress-did-i-make-in-the-2010s/ One of the best parts of writing a blog is being a...
A Very Unlikely Chess Game
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/06/a-very-unlikely-chess-game/ Almost 25 years after Kasparov vs. Deep Blue, another seminal man vs. mach...
Hardball Questions for the Next Debate (2020)
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/05/hardball-questions-for-the-next-debate-2020/ [Previously: Hardball Questions (2016), More Hardball Q...
Why Doctors Think They're The Best
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/01/02/why-doctors-think-theyre-the-best/ Ninety percent of drivers think they're above-average drivers, nin...
Please Take the 2020 SSC Survey!
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/30/please-take-the-2020-ssc-survey/ Please take the 2020 Slate Star Codex Survey. The survey helps me le...
Please Vote for ACC Winner
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/26/please-vote-for-acc-winner/ I've now posted all eight adversarial collaborations. In case you missed a...
[ACC Entry] How Much Significance Should We Ascribe to Spiritual Experiences?
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/25/acc-how-much-significance-should-we-ascribe-to-spiritual-experiences/ [This is an entry to the 2019 A...
[ACC Entry] Should You Have a Merry Christmas?
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/24/acc-should-you-have-a-merry-christmas/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contes...
[ACC Entry] Will Automation Lead to Economic Crisis?
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/23/acc-will-automation-lead-to-economic-crisis/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration ...
A Maximally Lazy Guide to Giving to Charity in 2019
23 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/22/a-maximally-lazy-guide-to-giving-to-charity-in-2019/ [Sorry for the interruption; we will return to our r...
[ACC Entry] When During Fetal Development Does Abortion Become Morally Wrong?
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/19/acc-when-during-fetal-development-does-abortion-become-morally-wrong/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adve...
[ACC Entry] Should Gene Editing Technologies Be Used in Humans?
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/18/acc-should-gene-editing-technologies-be-used-in-humans/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Col...
[ACC Entry] Should We Colonize Space to Mitigate X-Risk?
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/17/acc-should-we-colonize-space-to-mitigate-x-risk/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration...
[ACC Entry] Does Calorie Restriction Slow Aging?
14 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/12/acc-does-calorie-restriction-slow-aging/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Cont...
[ACC Entry] Is Eating Meat a Net Harm?
13 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/11/acc-is-eating-meat-a-net-harm/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest by Da...
[ACC Entry] What Are the Benefits, Harms, and Ethics of Infant Circumcision?
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/10/acc-is-infant-circumcision-ethical/ [This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest ...
2019 Adversarial Collaboration Entries
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/09/2019-adversarial-collaboration-entries/ Thanks to everyone who sent in entries for the 2019 adversaria...
Symptom, Condition, Cause
07 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/12/04/symptom-condition-cause/ On my recent post on autism, several people chimed in to say that "autism" was...
SSC Meetups Everywhere Retrospective
29 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/28/ssc-meetups-everywhere-retrospective/ Slate Star Codex has regular weekly-to-monthly meetups in a bunc...
Mental Mountains
29 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/26/mental-mountains/ I. Kaj Sotala has an outstanding review of Unlocking The Emotional Brain; I read t...
Book Review: All Therapy Books
24 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/20/book-review-all-therapy-books/ I. All therapy books start with a claim that their form of therapy will...
More Intuition-building on Non-empirical Science: Three Stories
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/18/more-intuition-building-on-non-empirical-science-three-stories/ [Followup to: Building Intuitions On Non-...
Autism and Intelligence: Much More Than You Wanted to Know
17 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/13/autism-and-intelligence-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ [Thanks to Marco DG for proofreading and offer...
Fish – Now by Prescription [Classic]
16 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/06/15/fish-now-by-prescription/ I. LOVAZA™®© (ask your doctor if LOVAZA™®© is right for you) is an ex...
Sleep – Now by Prescription [Classic]
16 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/09/28/sleep-now-by-prescription/ Ramelteon isn't a bad drug. It's just that its very existence stands as a co...