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22 insights saved from Scott Alexander's work by @psychology
Your Book Review: Great And Desperate Cures15 insights · See all
  1. Surgical innovations face weaker centralized pre‑approval than drugs because techniques vary with operator skill, sham‑control trials are ethically and practically difficult, and regulators developed strict pathways for repeatable pharmaceuticals but not for procedures.

    Surgical innovations face weaker centralized pre‑approval than drugs because techniques vary with operator skill, sham‑control trials are ethically and practically difficult, and regulators developed strict pathways for repeatable pharmaceuticals but not for procedures.
  2. Incrementalist thinking protected psychosurgery because critics targeted procedural details and proponents offered refinements, which reframed problems as solvable tweaks rather than reasons to abandon the underlying, weak rationale.

    Incrementalist thinking protected psychosurgery because critics targeted procedural details and proponents offered refinements, which reframed problems as solvable tweaks rather than reasons to abandon the underlying, weak rationale.
Contra Pritchard On Liberal Happiness7 insights · See all
  1. Economic growth gives durable wellbeing gains because material improvements from higher per-capita GDP persist across administrations and accumulate over centuries, making them hard to reverse with short-term political shifts.

    Economic growth gives durable wellbeing gains because material improvements from higher per-capita GDP persist across administrations and accumulate over centuries, making them hard to reverse with short-term political shifts.
  2. Differences in happiness between countries with similar incomes arise from culture and institutions because the log(income) relationship has wide error margins, so non-income factors can shift national happiness substantially above or below the income prediction.

    Differences in happiness between countries with similar incomes arise from culture and institutions because the log(income) relationship has wide error margins, so non-income factors can shift national happiness substantially above or below the income prediction.
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