SubstACT

Resources on Astral Codex Ten, Slate Star Codex, and more by Scott Alexander

The more I learn about Scott Alexander’s new Substack newsletter, Astral Codex Ten, the less I think I should give my descriptions or opinions about it. Whatever I might write, Scott Alexander or commenters on his work have written or will write soon.

Astral Codex Ten isn't just a newsletter. It has arrived on Substack with a pre-existing mini-universe, arising mainly out of Scott Alexander’s previous blog, Slate Star Codex.

I think the best thing I can do is introduce Astral Codex Ten with its own introduction, and then provide some resources for navigating the Scott Alexander universe.

The first post on Astral Codex Ten explains what the site is about:

... this is a blog about ṛta.

Ṛta is a Sanskrit word, so ancient that it brushes up against the origin of Indo-European languages. It's related to English "rationality" and "arithmetic", but also "art" and "harmony". And "right", both in the senses of "natural rights" and "the right answer". And "order". And "arete" and "aristos" and all those other Greek words about morality. And "artificial", as in eg artificial intelligence. …

The dictionary defines ṛta as "order", "truth", or "rule", but I think of it as the intersection of all these concepts, a sort of hidden node at the center of art and harmony and rationality and the rest. …

Intrigued? Read on at Astral Codex Ten.

If you want to know more about Scott Alexander’s writings and the communities relating to them, here are some useful links:

• Slate Star Codex Abridged (a categorized collection of some of the best essays from Slate Start Codex)

• r/slatestarcodex (a subreddit for Astral Codex Ten and Slate Star Codex)

• r/TheMotte (a rationalist subreddit)

• Data Secrets Lox (an Astral Codex Ten forum)

• Unsong (an online serial novel)

• @slatestarcodex (Scott Alexander on Twitter)

• Slate Star Scratchpad (Scott Alexander's Tumblr blog)

• Scott Alexander on LessWrong (a rationalist community)

• Scott Alexander on GreaterWrong (an alternative viewer for LessWrong)

• The Codex (a collection of essays by Scott Alexander on LessWrong)