At this point my blog has been alive for a few days now, and so it’s high time I mentioned Scott Alexander, and his blog(s): the Star Slate Codex and Astral Codex Ten. He writes about complex topics in a refreshingly sober, straight-forward and illuminating manner. His articles will most definitely make a regular appearance here.

To start with, I would recommend a light and short piece of fiction he wrote: Idol Words. It’s more a series of short scenes rather than a short story. It semi-seriously explores the idea of three omniscient idols, one of which always tells the truth, one of which always lies, and one of which answers randomly, with each “scene” featuring another person coming along to ask them a question. What kind of people would ask what kind of questions? The themes are perhaps predictable, but no less interesting or satisfying to read.

Enjoy:

Idol Words

It was another boring day as the keeper of the three omniscient idols, one of which always tells the truth, one of which always lies, and one of which answers randomly.