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Scott Alexander wasn't worried about readers of Slate Star Codex finding out his real name, he was worried about patients who knew his real name finding Slate S
by twic 6y ago
Scott Alexander wasn't worried about readers of Slate Star Codex finding out his real name, he was worried about patients who knew his real name finding Slate Star Codex. Using a pseudonym on the blog was a reasonably effective trapdoor function.
- theplague42 6y agoWhy publish something you wouldn't want your patients to read?
- whatshisface 6y agoPsychiatrists want perfect isolation, so that they can treat everyone from far right nuts to far left nuts to plain unsalted nuts. The only way to do that would be to publish nothing, and surely you must agree that at least some psychiatrists must be cursed with good writing skills and something to say.
- DanBC 6y ago> Psychiatrists want perfect isolation Publishing under your real first names, and letting people know where you work, is pretty far from "perfect isolation", isn't it? He's not stupid. Why did he chose such a terrible pseudonym?
- whatshisface 6y agoHis blogging actually predates his medical career.
- mrkurt 6y agoI'm all for anonymous publishing, I think it's a powerful and useful. Retconning SSC as an "anonymous" publication is silly, though, and really dilutes the efforts of people who truly want to or need to remain anonymous.
- fzeroracer 6y agoIsn't he effectively doxxing his patients by revealing personal information (albeit slightly jumbled)? He's been writing under the thinnest veneer of anonymity and if he's considered about the things he writes affecting his patients, maybe he's either not taking enough measures to be anonymous or shouldn't be writing those things in the first place as a professional.