r/slatestarcodex
Slate Star Codex was the former name for a blog by Scott Alexander about human cognition, politics, and medicine. In 2021, the name was…
How to think about r/slatestarcodex
This community revolves around discussions inspired by the blog formerly known as Slate Star Codex, authored by Scott Alexander. It focuses on topics such as rationality, psychology, politics, and medicine, often delving into complex ideas with a unique blend of humor and intellectual rigor. Members appreciate nuanced discussions and critical thinking, making it a distinct space for those interested in rationalist thought and self-improvement.
Confidence 4/5
Audience
Participants in this community tend to be intellectually curious individuals, often with backgrounds in academia, technology, or philosophy. The demographic skews towards educated young adults who are interested in deep discussions about human cognition and societal issues. The vibe is generally supportive and inquisitive, with members valuing thoughtful contributions and a willingness to explore unconventional ideas.
Posting culture
Content that thrives includes in-depth analyses, personal reflections on rationality, and discussions of cognitive biases. Posts that are overly promotional or lack substance tend to be downvoted. Members value high-quality, well-researched content, and the community encourages a culture of respectful debate. Posting frequency can vary, but engaging discussions often lead to active threads.
Brand engagement notes
Brands looking to engage with this community should prioritize authenticity and intellectual engagement over direct promotion. Sharing valuable insights, research findings, or thought-provoking questions can resonate well with members. However, blatant advertising or superficial content is likely to be met with skepticism or hostility. Collaborating with respected figures in the community or contributing to discussions can help brands build credibility and rapport.
Top keywords
What r/slatestarcodex talks about
Weighted by how often each term appears in posts and comments, relative to baseline frequency. The largest words are the strongest signals of community focus.
External signals
Where the community looks
Top external domains linked from posts and comments — a quick read on the sources of truth this audience trusts.
- astralcodexten.substack.com
- astralcodexten.com
- statsignificant.com
- open.substack.com
- i.redd.it
- lesswrong.com
- youtube.com
- twitter.com
- nytimes.com
- goodreason.substack.com
- lionelpage.substack.com
- openai.com
- youtu.be
- newyorker.com
- superbowl.substack.com
- arxiv.org
- maximumprogress.substack.com
- scottaaronson.blog
- mattlakeman.org
- ryanbruno.substack.com
Top contributors
Who shapes the conversation
The most active and most-upvoted posters and commenters in this community. Useful when planning outreach or studying a community's tastemakers.
Top posters
By post count
- u/dwaxe
- u/michaelmf
- u/gwern
- u/dpee123
- u/[deleted]
- u/philbearsubstack
- u/offaseptimus
- u/abrbbb
- u/Ultraximus
- u/GoodReasonAndre
- u/EducationalCicada
- u/greyenlightenment
- u/hn-mc
- u/nick7566
- u/aahdin
- u/jacksonjules
- u/being_interesting0
- u/ChowMeinSinnFein
- u/kzhou7
- u/oz_science
- u/ofs314
- u/psychothumbs
- u/xcBsyMBrUbbTl99A
- u/owlthatissuperb
- u/COAGULOPATH
- u/MTabarrok
- u/Relach
- u/Liface
- u/partoffuturehivemind
- u/Smallpaul
- u/rghosh_94
- u/AutoModerator
- u/klevertree1
- u/ElbieLG
- u/OpenlyFallible
- u/Evan_Th
- u/Designer-Shift-7442
- u/Ok_Fox_8448
- u/FedeRivade
- u/honeypuppy
- u/Annapurna__
- u/artifex0
- u/wstewartXYZ
- u/-Metacelsus-
- u/mirror_truth
- u/BackgroundDisaster11
- u/LongjumpingTank5
- u/MisterJose
- u/unfriendlymushroomer
- u/Extra_Negotiation
- u/commandotaco
- u/DJKeown
- u/niplav
- u/togstation
- u/D2MAH
- u/ArjunPanickssery
- u/azurisme
- u/johnlawrenceaspden
- u/LeatherJury4
- u/ralf_
- u/Euphetar
- u/henrikolofkarlsson
- u/rds2mch2
- u/Whetstone_94
- u/TracingWoodgrains
- u/RationalNarrator
- u/kreuzguy
- u/BoofThatNug
- u/Seldon-Crisis
- u/andrewl_
- u/AugustusPertinax
- u/adderallposting
- u/Travis-Walden
- u/Raileyx
- u/hold_my_fish
- u/EquinoctialPie
- u/mike20731
- u/TheMeiguoren
- u/AntiDyatlov
- u/fortist
- u/DrManhattan16
- u/jjanx
- u/IdeasAndFailure
- u/Pendaviewsonbeauty
- u/godlikesme
- u/AporiaMagazine
- u/qwortec
- u/Big_W0rker
- u/djarogames
- u/erwgv3g34
- u/27153
- u/Gene_Smith
- u/Chad_Nauseam
- u/ShivasRightFoot
- u/ManHasJam
- u/self_made_human
- u/ResearchInvestRetire
- u/elcric_krej
- u/ididnoteatyourcat
- u/Yozarian22
By votes
- u/dwaxe
- u/michaelmf
- u/Ultraximus
- u/[deleted]
- u/dpee123
- u/GoodReasonAndre
- u/abrbbb
- u/gwern
- u/kzhou7
- u/ChowMeinSinnFein
- u/greyenlightenment
- u/offaseptimus
- u/oz_science
- u/aahdin
- u/Relach
- u/nick7566
- u/psychothumbs
- u/Ok_Fox_8448
- u/FedeRivade
- u/djarogames
- u/ralf_
- u/erwgv3g34
- u/jacksonjules
- u/qwortec
- u/philbearsubstack
- u/EducationalCicada
- u/ofs314
- u/phatphace
- u/Big_W0rker
- u/grave_plot
- u/hn-mc
- u/DinoInNameOnly
- u/partoffuturehivemind
- u/michelsonnmorley
- u/honeypuppy
- u/Liface
- u/being_interesting0
- u/klevertree1
- u/artifex0
- u/owlthatissuperb
- u/OpenlyFallible
- u/henrikolofkarlsson
- u/Smallpaul
- u/COAGULOPATH
- u/G2F4E6E7E8
- u/Annapurna__
- u/995a3c3c3c3c2424
- u/xcBsyMBrUbbTl99A
- u/wstewartXYZ
- u/TracingWoodgrains
- u/Whetstone_94
- u/Euphetar
- u/BackgroundDisaster11
- u/jacksnyder2
- u/rds2mch2
- u/timocreon
- u/Gene_Smith
- u/rghosh_94
- u/ManHasJam
- u/27153
- u/Yozarian22
- u/self_made_human
- u/NavinF
- u/ElbieLG
- u/LongjumpingTank5
- u/kreuzguy
- u/ShivasRightFoot
- u/-Metacelsus-
- u/DM_ME_YOUR_HUSBANDO
- u/Chad_Nauseam
- u/Extra_Negotiation
- u/Rincer_of_wind
- u/adderallposting
- u/Evan_Th
- u/MisterJose
- u/ResearchInvestRetire
- u/AugustusPertinax
- u/MTabarrok
- u/Seldon-Crisis
- u/RationalNarrator
- u/unfriendlymushroomer
- u/Designer-Shift-7442
- u/AlephOneContinuum
- u/NigroqueSimillima
- u/andrewl_
- u/firefighter301
- u/Matthew-Barnett
- u/togstation
- u/Barry_Cotter
- u/SilentSpirit7962
- u/YogiBerraOfBadNews
- u/elcric_krej
- u/DJKeown
- u/ulyssessword
- u/t3cblaze
- u/trexofwanting
- u/MattLakeman
- u/dualmindblade
- u/themistocleswasright
- u/BoofThatNug
Top commenters
By comment count
- u/[deleted]
- u/ishayirashashem
- u/greyenlightenment
- u/johnlawrenceaspden
- u/offaseptimus
- u/wavedash
- u/callmejay
- u/DM_ME_YOUR_HUSBANDO
- u/COAGULOPATH
- u/MakeTotalDestr0i
- u/UncleWeyland
- u/MentalPen3777
- u/Mawrak
- u/togstation
- u/I_am_momo
- u/russianpotato
- u/fubo
- u/ArkyBeagle
- u/goyafrau
- u/bibliophile785
- u/RLMinMaxer
- u/KronoriumExcerptC
- u/ElbieLG
- u/TrekkiMonstr
- u/AnonymousCoward261
- u/dunnolol123
- u/gloria_monday
- u/viking_
- u/QuantumFreakonomics
- u/Extra_Negotiation
- u/ucatione
- u/Missing_Minus
- u/sodiummuffin
- u/ScottAlexander
- u/iemfi
- u/VelveteenAmbush
- u/ThankMrBernke
- u/TomasTTEngin
- u/parkway_parkway
- u/Liam_Scott_
- u/ConfidentFlorida
- u/rotates-potatoes
- u/trpjnf
- u/SerialStateLineXer
- u/MacaqueOfTheNorth
- u/PragmaticBoredom
- u/on_doveswings
- u/tired_hillbilly
- u/horsebatterycorrect
- u/Kajel-Jeten
- u/honeypuppy
- u/-Metacelsus-
- u/casens9
- u/Just_Natural_9027
- u/PM_ME_UR_OBSIDIAN
- u/SirCaesar29
- u/slapdashbr
- u/KneeHigh4July
- u/pimpus-maximus
- u/TeknicalThrowAway
- u/Sostratus
- u/bildramer
- u/Charlie___
- u/NavinF
- u/LiteVolition
- u/MoNastri
- u/honeycall
- u/HR_Paul
- u/LiberateMainSt
- u/Geezersteez
- u/-main
- u/methyltheobromine_
- u/Glassnoser
- u/CronoDAS
- u/divijulius
- u/EducationalCicada
- u/rds2mch2
- u/percyhiggenbottom
- u/himself_v
- u/akm_rd
- u/LanchestersLaw
- u/Puredoxyk
- u/BalorNG
- u/gwern
- u/abecedarius
- u/electrace
- u/plexluthor
- u/eric2332
- u/andrewl_
- u/cjet79
- u/BaronVSS
- u/Phanes7
- u/AriadneSkovgaarde
- u/chiami12345
- u/tehbored
- u/clover_heron
- u/skaag
- u/Trigonal_Planar
- u/sinuhe_t
- u/EdgeCityRed
By votes
- u/[deleted]
- u/COAGULOPATH
- u/DM_ME_YOUR_HUSBANDO
- u/ScottAlexander
- u/VelveteenAmbush
- u/fubo
- u/electrace
- u/Yeangster
- u/OptimalProblemSolver
- u/sfenders
- u/Charlie___
- u/sodiummuffin
- u/greyenlightenment
- u/MakeTotalDestr0i
- u/edlolington
- u/gauephat
- u/PolymorphicWetware
- u/viking_
- u/bibliophile785
- u/TissueReligion
- u/Ifkaluva
- u/SoylentRox
- u/BullockHouse
- u/Kajel-Jeten
- u/KneeHigh4July
- u/metamucil0
- u/DatYungChebyshev420
- u/Just_Natural_9027
- u/meatb0dy
- u/offaseptimus
- u/arcanechart
- u/goyafrau
- u/prudentj
- u/PragmaticBoredom
- u/dinosaur_of_doom
- u/mcjunker
- u/BoppreH
- u/togstation
- u/TheTarquin
- u/LateNightMoo
- u/wavedash
- u/artifex0
- u/Nebuchadnezz4r
- u/esperalegant
- u/-main
- u/CaptainLexington
- u/MoNastri
- u/syphilicious
- u/geodesuckmydick
- u/DrManhattan16
- u/TheApiary
- u/ucatione
- u/HalfRadish
- u/fogrift
- u/ascherbozley
- u/Ficalos
- u/QuantumFreakonomics
- u/ishayirashashem
- u/ProcrustesTongue
- u/johnlawrenceaspden
- u/DocGrey187000
- u/misersoze
- u/AuspiciousNotes
- u/rotates-potatoes
- u/WTFwhatthehell
- u/jeremyhoffman
- u/lisiate
- u/Ok_Fox_8448
- u/nip9
- u/retsibsi
- u/Possible-Summer-8508
- u/benide
- u/cjet79
- u/miscellaneousmonk
- u/on_doveswings
- u/plowfaster
- u/SSG_SSG_BloodMoon
- u/TheSausageKing
- u/adderallposting
- u/Evinceo
- u/CommandersLog
- u/KronoriumExcerptC
- u/PM_ME_UR_OBSIDIAN
- u/zenarcade3
- u/akm_rd
- u/BaronVSS
- u/TrekkiMonstr
- u/mirror_truth
- u/Shockz0rz
- u/Lurking_Chronicler_2
- u/PubicMohawk
- u/EmotionsAreGay
- u/agaperion
- u/KillerPacifist1
- u/NavinF
- u/Toptomcat
- u/YeahThisIsMyNewAcct
- u/DamnesiaVu
- u/casens9
- u/vogue_epiphany
Similar communities
Where this audience also spends time
Topic-adjacent communities surfaced from Reddit's own related subreddit signal.
FAQ
r/slatestarcodex — frequently asked questions
Quick facts about this subreddit's size, history, focus, and related communities.
How many subscribers does r/slatestarcodex have?
r/slatestarcodex has approximately 77,501 subscribers as of May 27, 2026.
When was r/slatestarcodex created?
r/slatestarcodex was created on February 26, 2014 (12 years ago).
What is r/slatestarcodex about?
This community revolves around discussions inspired by the blog formerly known as Slate Star Codex, authored by Scott Alexander. It focuses on topics such as rationality, psychology, politics, and medicine, often delving into complex ideas with a unique blend of humor and intellectual rigor. Members appreciate nuanced discussions and critical thinking, making it a distinct s…
What subreddits are similar to r/slatestarcodex?
Communities similar to r/slatestarcodex include r/rational, r/effectivealtruism, r/sneerclub, r/samharris.
Who are the most active posters on r/slatestarcodex?
The most frequent posters on r/slatestarcodex include u/dwaxe, u/michaelmf, u/gwern.
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