Useful Articles
Here is a list of articles I have read that have influenced how I live and think about things. I am not endorsing every word of every thing here in full, and it is up to the reader to discern what advice and knowledge is legitimate and what isn't, as it would be impossible for me to qualify every thing in this section. This section of the website will be updated as I discover new articles that inspire me, but rarely will things be taken off, as education is a journey, and anything I think helped me at any time cannot be denied that truth in retrospect. While I do write short synopses of each article, do not take that as a replacement for reading the article.
An entertaining look at the issue of people applying rigor only to the things that they do not believe, or insisting rigor not be applied to their own interests. Often we know that we believe things that are, for all intents and purposes, not correct, and still expect everyone else to scrutinize themselves in ways that we are incapable of doing. This is a huge deal in circles of "smart people" who have the qualifications to demand more from others while having the privilege of being an expert in a niche field, and hence, never having people demand more from them.
Despite the edgy title, this is a unique take on the conversation of racial discrepancy in various parts of life, and why the arguments people use to try to force interaction between races in certain hobbies and interests are not helpful. Scott lists eight reasons for the underrepresentation of black people in certain subcultures and interests. Note that this is simply supplementary material for the conversation of racial segregation, and not meant to be a catch-all answer; it would be exhausting for every article on this subject to be qualified with the author saying that they understand the bigger picture of an argument when it can be assumed that an author isn't attempting to mend all racial tension in a 5-minute article. For that reason, I recommend reading into the replies, of which there are over 400.
A neat visualization of all the cognitive biases that exist. Not purely informational by itself, but a great reference for if you are looking for a specific cognitive bias that you don't remember the name of, or if you want to learn more about certain areas of cognition. Visual Capitalist has many other neat visualizations for important things, so I recommend the entire website.
Meth is brought up often when talking about medications for ADHD, and many parents are afraid their children will get hooked on ketamine the moment they read about it online. While I am not the largest advocate for drug use, I believe it is important that the public conscience of drug usage is based on the clinical usage of the drug and not the recreational usage, as the highest dose you will get in a clinical setting is typically 10 to 50 times smaller than the dose recreational users take. Removing excessive stigma surrounding drugs will make it easier for people in tough spots to be confident in getting through them.
A big chart of all the electronic music you can think of, with examples of what that genre might sound like. Very useful for musicians who want to aim for a certain style and be accurate and respectful of the people who pioneered it.
An essay on the various lies that kids are told while growing up, and the benefits and deficits of lying to children, as well as theory on what drives parents to lie to their children in the first place. It's difficult to try to summarize Paul's work, so just read it. I also recommend looking into some of the other dozens of essays Paul has written, he generally has good insight.
Personal experience with discrimination is not useful when assessing the degree to which people experience discrimination, and we have simply become numb to accepting lived experiences as evidence because it is difficult to quantify discrimination, and often unsatisfying to the ideas we have developed from anecdotal evidence. People have moved from merely using anecdotes as a way to get people to sympathize with a group that experiences discrimination to a method of diagnosing the severity of the discrimination. Some illuminating meta studies are analyzed.
The only sex education website you will ever need. This may be a little weird for me to be advocating here compared to the rest of this website, but nonetheless is an important topic to me that I think should be less stigmatized. Sex is a weird thing for people to talk about, which is why doing your own research is so important, and this website has everything anybody needs to know about it, from disinterested virgins to professional sex workers. Topics include how to have a good first time, the science behind pleasure, advice for asexuals and couples who want to improve or invigorate their bedroom experience, and advanced techniques for competitive sex-havers who want to truly master their art.
A brief explanation of the important parts of the standard model, physics stuff.
An article regarding PR and marketing in media describes PR firms as a 'submarine' behind all news. If you are interested in this subject further, check out "Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator" by Ryan Holiday.
A correct explanation of the Dunning-Kruger effect and the issues with the original study that make it not as steadfast as people believe it to be. Read if you have ever tried to explain this effect to somebody, and bask in the humility.
MIT professor Philip tackles the phenomenon of women underrepresentation in science from every angle that you most likely have not considered before. Another one of those articles that may seem like it is trying to prove the popular theory wrong and completely replace it, but go into this knowing that it is purely supplementary, and there is still merit to the popular explanations. Philip's arguments may seem futile at times, especially in the "science versus collecting child support" section, but the message shines through. Check out the rest of his website, too, as it is similar to my own (albeit it being more difficult to navigate).
Arguments against utilitarianism, a concept that is popular among college dudes who think they have figured out the perfect way for the world to be run.