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0 pointslittletimmy10y ago0 comments

I've often heard that about website. What is it? Who writes it?

0 comments

4 comments · 1 top-level

TeMPOraL10y ago· 3 in thread

A psychiatrist that goes by pen name Scott Alexander, also known as Yvain on Less Wrong. He wrote quite a lot of insightful articles over the year; here's one reference[0].

My favourite work of his is Meditations on Moloch[1] - quite long but very good post about how various coordination problems make the world look the way it was, and how it may evolve in the future.

[0] - http://nothingismere.com/2015/09/12/library-of-scott-alexand...

[1] - http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

taliesinb10y ago

I read SSC's Moloch essay a while back -- I ended up missing two Strange Loop talks because I got so into it! He has some really fantastic essays.

It's a small part of Moloch but one idea that really stuck with me was that many of our defining societal threats and challenges are ultimately coordination problems, game theoretic tragedies. The Achilles heel of humanity it seems.

TeMPOraL10y ago

(Past my edit window so submitting as another comment.)

Also, listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et-E4WWcbeE.

You'll never be reading that post in the same internal voice again. :).

1 more reply

TeMPOraL10y ago

I think this is not a "small idea", I read it as the core idea behind everything in that post. I agree that coordination problems seem to be the Achilles heel of mankind.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

4 comments · 1 top-level

TeMPOraL10y ago· 3 in thread

A psychiatrist that goes by pen name Scott Alexander, also known as Yvain on Less Wrong. He wrote quite a lot of insightful articles over the year; here's one reference[0].

My favourite work of his is Meditations on Moloch[1] - quite long but very good post about how various coordination problems make the world look the way it was, and how it may evolve in the future.

[0] - http://nothingismere.com/2015/09/12/library-of-scott-alexand...

[1] - http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

taliesinb10y ago

I read SSC's Moloch essay a while back -- I ended up missing two Strange Loop talks because I got so into it! He has some really fantastic essays.

It's a small part of Moloch but one idea that really stuck with me was that many of our defining societal threats and challenges are ultimately coordination problems, game theoretic tragedies. The Achilles heel of humanity it seems.

TeMPOraL10y ago

(Past my edit window so submitting as another comment.)

Also, listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et-E4WWcbeE.

You'll never be reading that post in the same internal voice again. :).

1 more reply

TeMPOraL10y ago

I think this is not a "small idea", I read it as the core idea behind everything in that post. I agree that coordination problems seem to be the Achilles heel of mankind.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse