Utilitarianism & Progressive Values

Bentham advocated for decriminalizing gay sex. I'm not sure whether to give more credence to utilitarianism for being ahead of the curve on feminism and gay rights, or whether Mill's ties to Bentham provide a social, nonrational explanation.

Meritocracy & the "Great Man" Myth

A commitment to meritocracy stems from the "great man" myth that science only progresses from genius to genius.

Conspiratorial Rationalists

There's a (growing?) pocket of conspiratorial media-distrusters in the rationalist community.

Understand Prior Literature

Scientists should spend more time understanding the prior literature before attempting new research.

Police Defiance Cycle

There may be a vicious cycle between police's dislike of defiance and inner-city citizens' code of defiance.

Keep It Simple: Blame Epistemic Vices

Epistemic vices may be more relevant to the spread of misinformation than politicization and polarization.

Air Conditioning & COVID-19

Potential interaction effects make modeling associations harder.

College & Intellectual Culture

A huge thing college did for me was make me aware intellectual culture exists. 

Are Prisons Obselete?

Angela Davis's case for abolishing prisons is worth taking seriously.

Simplest Critique of The Book of Why

A causal diagram approach may just shift where the questionable assumptions lie.