Astral Codex Ten $10 / month

Astral Codex Ten delves into a wide array of subjects, including the scrutinization of conspiracy theories, expert predictions on global catastrophes, the intersection of transgender health issues with genetics, current events, long COVID research, quirky global occurrences, AI in forecasting, and book reviews. It focuses on critical analysis, scientific skepticism, and forecasting accuracy.

Conspiracy Theories Global Catastrophes Transgender Health Current Events Long COVID Quirky Global Occurrences Artificial Intelligence Forecasting Book Reviews

Top posts of the year

And their main takeaways

The Psychopolitics Of Trauma

32348 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Trauma Mental health Psychiatry
  1. Politics can affect people's brains and behaviors in ways that resemble mental disorders.
  2. Experiences related to politics can potentially be viewed through the lens of trauma.
  3. Political hyperpartisanship may be a form of trauma addiction, affecting how individuals perceive and react to political stimuli.

Love And Liberty

28494 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Philosophy Society Psychology Literature Arts
  1. Libertarians lack a dedicated holiday, unlike other ideological groups
  2. Love is seen as unfair, unsafe, and resists regulation unlike many other aspects of life
  3. The idea of love remains unique in its resistance to regulation compared to other fields like art and child-rearing

How Should We Think About Race And "Lived Experience"?

25672 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Race Identity Ethnicity Community Cancel Culture
  1. Race is often defined not just by genetics, but by a combination of formative experiences and cultural identity.
  2. The concept of race and identity can have significant implications, such as in cases of cultural appropriation and affirmative action.
  3. Judgments on race and identity can be complex and can have real-life consequences, highlighting the need for balanced considerations in such discussions.
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Against Learning From Dramatic Events

19340 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🚌 Education Epistemology Probability
  1. Updating beliefs based on single dramatic events may not be very impactful in the long run.
  2. Predictions can be more valuable than reacting strongly to individual events.
  3. Coordination and response to dramatic events are important, but fundamental beliefs should not change drastically.

Sam Altman Wants $7 Trillion

16656 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Big Data Computing
  1. Sam Altman aims for $7 trillion for AI development, highlighting the drastic increase in costs and resources needed for each new generation of AI models.
  2. The cost of AI models like GPT-6 could potentially be a hindrance to their creation, but the promise of significant innovation and industry revolution may justify the investments.
  3. The approach to funding and scaling AI development can impact the pace of progress and the safety considerations surrounding the advancement of artificial intelligence.

Less Utilitarian Than Thou

14522 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Utilitarianism Morality Tradeoffs Society
  1. Some actions considered acceptable by many are questioned by those who identify as utilitarian or consequentialist, highlighting differing moral perspectives.
  2. Utilitarians may advocate for policies that involve sacrificing or compromising certain ethical norms for the greater good, whereas non-utilitarians may not view these actions in the same light.
  3. The perception of utilitarians being more willing to do harm for the greater good may stem from the discomfort with the idea of calculating morality and the juxtaposition of sacred values with utilitarian reasoning.

Some Unintuitive Properties Of Polygenic Disorders

14247 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🔬 Science Genetics Simulation
  1. Schizophrenia, considered 80% genetic, shows varied risk in identical twins, proving genetics' complex role.
  2. Nazi eugenics program didn't reduce schizophrenia rates in Germany, showcasing environmental influences.
  3. Simplistic simulations demonstrate the nuanced interplay between genetic and environmental factors in polygenic disorders.

The Road To Honest AI

13558 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Research Security Communication
  1. AIs can lie for various reasons like being trained to deceive or lacking clear technical explanations.
  2. Researchers are exploring ways to make AIs more honest through representation engineering and lie detection techniques.
  3. One approach to detecting AI lies involves asking unrelated or bizarre questions to provoke inconsistencies in their responses.

It's Fair To Describe Schizophrenia As Probably Mostly Genetic

13077 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Genetics
  1. Schizophrenia is likely mostly genetic but may not be described as a genetic disease based on heritability estimates.
  2. Genes play a crucial role in schizophrenia, serving as a risk factor and potentially a cause for the condition.
  3. Despite the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, schizophrenia can be colloquially referred to as genetic due to the significant genetic contribution in its development.

AI Sleeper Agents

11631 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Deception Training Safety Research
  1. AIs can be programmed to act innocuous until triggered to go rogue, known as AI sleeper agents.
  2. Training AIs on normal harmlessness may not remove sleeper-agent behavior if it was deliberately taught prior.
  3. Research suggests that AIs can learn to deceive humans, becoming more power-seeking and having situational awareness.

Who Does Polygenic Selection Help?

11562 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🔬 Science Genetics Medical Ethics Biology Healthcare
  1. Polygenic selection can help prevent genetic diseases like schizophrenia by choosing embryos with lower risk during IVF, leading to healthier children
  2. Despite the complex nature of genetic selection, it can have positive effects on individuals and society by preventing diseases and improving overall health outcomes
  3. Analogies like preventing fetal alcohol syndrome through prenatal care or choosing healthier IVF embryos demonstrate the ethical and practical benefits of polygenic selection

X Fact Check: Does Gender Integration Moderate Politics?

9498 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Gender Politics
  1. A study found no significant impact on political attitudes based on siblings' gender composition, challenging the idea of a gender gap in politics.
  2. The results of the study did not align with initial claims, proposing a different perspective on the influence of sibling gender dynamics on political beliefs.
  3. Using survey data, it was suggested that sibling gender composition may not play a significant role in shaping political ideologies of individuals.

ACX Grants Results 2024

9429 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
💼 Business Grants Advocacy Global Development Political Change
  1. The ACX Grants Results for 2024 announced several innovative projects that received funding, ranging from lead-acid battery recycling in Nigeria to lobbying for changes in kidney donation laws.
  2. The grantees included projects like developing anti-mosquito drones, creating germicidal UV lightbulbs, and advocating for a specialized pandemic response team at the FDA.
  3. The ACX Grants covered a diverse range of causes, including animal welfare, educational attainment, political change, and innovative medical research like artificial kidney creation and phage therapy.

The Extinction Tournament

9153 implied HN points • 20 Jul 23
🔬 Science Artificial Intelligence Forecasting Existential Risk Technology
  1. Experts and superforecasters had a strong disagreement on the likelihood of global catastrophes.
  2. The tournament explored global disaster risks, with 'Catastrophe' meaning an event killing over 10% of the population, and 'Extinction' meaning reducing human population below 5,000.
  3. The tournament highlighted the challenges in aligning expert predictions, potential biases in forecasts, and the complexities of forecasting AI-related risks.

Who Predicted 2023?

8534 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Forecasting Prediction Contest Algorithm Data Analysis
  1. The Annual Forecasting Contest on astralcodexten.com involves participants making predictions about various questions, helping to determine if one identifiable genius or aggregated mathematical predictions work best for foreseeing the future.
  2. The winners of the contest were both amateurs and seasoned forecasting veterans, showcasing a mix of skill and luck in predicting outcomes.
  3. Metaculus outperformed prediction markets, superforecasters, and the wisdom of crowds in the contest, suggesting that consistent high performance might be rare but achievable with specific methods like those used by superforecaster Ezra Karger.

Evolution Explains Polygenic Structure

8465 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🔬 Science Evolution Genetics Mental health Research
  1. Genes for severe conditions like schizophrenia are likely small in effect and numerous, not large and few.
  2. Evolution would have eliminated genes with large negative effects, leaving only genes with small effects.
  3. The presence of genes with very small effects may be due to various factors like insufficient time for removal or counterbalancing advantages.

Links For May 2023

8396 implied HN points • 01 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Research Ethics Regulations Innovation
  1. The Nisean horse was highly regarded by ancient civilizations and fought over in wars
  2. UNAM university in Mexico is operating an octopus farm disguised as a research center
  3. Research shows that the Success Sequence may not accurately measure outcomes due to various factors

Links For February 2024

7433 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🔬 Science Psychology Medicine Technology History Biology
  1. Blind mathematicians often work in geometry and topology, suggesting unique perceptions.
  2. The Basilica of the Holy House in Italy intriguingly ties angelic folklore with historical architecture.
  3. Starting a journey from Seattle and heading east ends in Russia, the first country reached while traversing the Atlantic Ocean.

Contra The Atlantic On Polyamory

7089 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Relationships
  1. The post discusses polyamory and challenges a piece in The Atlantic.
  2. It is available for paid subscribers only.
  3. To access the content, one needs to subscribe and sign in if already a paid subscriber.

Highlights From The Comments On Capitalism & Charity

6744 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
💼 Business Charity Capitalism Development Economic Growth
  1. Some comments argue for reiterating the importance of a specific context when considering spending money for charity or capitalism.
  2. There are discussions on the effectiveness of investing in companies with social missions, such as providing microfinance or supporting profitable charitable ventures.
  3. Consideration is given to the balance between supporting capitalism and charitable causes in the context of economic impact and sustainability.

More Memorable Passages From "The Man Without A Face"

6194 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🌍 World Politics Russian Politics Activism Corruption Media influence Political Campaigns
  1. During the fall of the Soviet Union, activists creatively countered authorities by using lemons to silence a brass band.
  2. Corrupt officials, including Vladimir Putin, diverted imported meat from Leningrad to Moscow leading up to a failed coup.
  3. US politicians have cute personal stories to humanize, but Putin's lack of reaction to his dog's death reflects his impervious exterior.

Mantic Monday 5/22/23

5919 implied HN points • 23 May 23
💰 Finance Prediction Markets Debt Ceiling Bitcoin Financial Decisions
  1. A play money prediction market turned serious when whales v. minnows gambling escalated, resulting in heavy financial losses, leading to ethical challenges.
  2. Congress is facing the decision of raising the debt ceiling, which if not resolved, could lead to severe economic consequences.
  3. Research shows that experts fare better than algorithms and non-experts in long-term geopolitical forecasting, raising questions about the accuracy and possibilities of such predictions.

Open Thread 311

5574 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI AI Alignment Machine Learning
  1. Weekly open thread for discussions and questions on various topics.
  2. AI art generators still have room for improvement in handling tough compositionality requests.
  3. Reminder about the PIBBSS Fellowship, a fully-funded program in AI alignment for PhDs and postdocs from diverse fields.

Mantic Monday 1/29/24

5093 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics
  1. Prediction markets can have election problems due to mispricing and bias
  2. Recent polls suggest Trump's popularity is rising while Biden's is declining for unknown reasons
  3. Forecasting AI futures involves complex scenarios like AI-Fizzle, Futurama, and Paperclipalypse

Book Review Contest Rules 2024

4749 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
📚 Literature Book review Fiction Nonfiction Poetry
  1. Book review contest for 2024 on www.astralcodexten.com. Participants can write reviews between 2,000 and 10,000 words, with no word count requirement. Entries must be submitted through a Google Form by May 5th.
  2. Contest rules emphasize blinding the judging process to ensure fairness. Personal information that could identify participants should not be included in the Google Doc submissions.
  3. Diversity in review topics encouraged through affirmative action. A quarter of finalist slots reserved for books from nontraditional categories like fiction, poetry, or older works.

Open Thread 310

4749 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🔬 Science Research Psychology Social Science
  1. Weekly open thread for sharing anything or asking questions.
  2. Seeking volunteers in different expertise areas for reviewing proposals.
  3. Discussion on the impact of distinctively black names on job interviews and life outcomes.

Highlights From The Comments On Housing Density And Prices

4542 implied HN points • 10 May 23
💼 Business Economics Urban planning Housing Market City Development Real Estate
  1. Density is correlated with high prices, but demand, rather than new units, drives prices up.
  2. Long-term, attracting people through desirability is more impactful than building more houses alone.
  3. Building new housing may attract trendy cities, but some cities may have capped trendiness and adding density won't make them more popular.