[whoswho]

I keep seeing Astral Codex Ten posted here for a variety of topics, including science, politics and others. There is a tone of authority to a lot of the writing. I have to ask, what are these person’s qualifications? Are they employed and directly involved across all these subjects they cover?

[_yb2s]

As a long time reader, I don't feel like he asserts things from a tone of authority, but usually makes self contained well reasoned arguments, and cites his sources.

He is a practicing clinical psychiatrist, and also knows a lot about AI, but I find him to be hilariously naive and almost always wrong when he talks about relationships, sex, or social dynamics- almost like an alien trying to understand humans with no firsthand experience.

Overall, I would also say he is an extremely intelligent person, which probably means his ideas are more likely to be correct, but also that he 'overpowers' readers into believing his perspective. Even when wrong, his arguments have an unusual amount of complexity and nuance, and an unusual amount of time and effort spent reasoning and arguing them, which is likely to compel readers to blindly accept them.

[ausbah]

your comment seems like a very good summary of the rationalist / lesswrong / effective altruist crowd in general

[justrealist]

It's Scott Alexander of SSC. He's a clinical psychiatrist so he's extremely qualified on this one.

On other topics he is well-informed and thoughtful but speaks with less authority.

[cma]

I believe he's in the past talked about how he donated to a charity that pays mentally ill homeless to be sterilized, so the post might have justification motivations as well.