In this post Scott Alexander uses flags, movie plot holes, and tech-company names as “model organisms” for thinking about taste: small, familiar examples where broader arguments about rules, context, elegance, novelty, and cliché become easier to see. It’s a sharp, funny exploration of why some aesthetic rules feel obvious, when they may just be inherited habits, and why “easy wins” can sometimes feel suspiciously tasteless.

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 00:09 - Reddit Vexillology

* 07:49 - 2: Movie Plot Holes

* 10:12 - Tech Company Names

https://open.substack.com/pub/astralcodexten/p/three-model-organisms-for-taste?r=67y1h&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

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