Recommended by Thomas Reilly
Awais Aftab is both a clinician and researcher, coming at topics from a critical/philosophical perspective. He is prolific, publishing high quality posts on latest research, interviewing figures in psychiatry and tackling controversies. My favourite Substack dedicated to psychiatry.
Each month Andy McKenzie posts Action Potentials, a round up of neuroscience research. It is an incredibly curated list and I always feel grateful to him. This substack should be huge! It is valuable to anyone with an interest in mind/brain science. Thanks Andy!
This is simultaneously my favourite substack on UK politics (from an insider Sam Freedman) and on international conflict (from his father, emeritus professor Lawrence Freedman). Posts are generally long, thoughtful, and insightful.
Sam Atis writes on EA and EA-adjacent topics. Unlike others, I find his writing style to be refreshingly honest and conversational - the epitome of epistemic humility. His roundup links are full of solid content.
Erik Hoel is a Substack superstar. His background is in neuroscience but he’s also a novelist - this combination of academic and writing chops make his posts unmissable. He has frequently challenged my preconceptions and introduced me to new ideas.
The mark of an independent thinker is when you can’t predict their position on the latest topic. Freddie has shown this, with the furore over his pro-Palestine stance. Unfortunately this caused such a backlash on here that he has threatened to leave the platform. Freddie please don’t go, we love you so!
I assume if you’re reading this you already know Scott Alexander…but to say he redefined blogging for me would not be an understatement. He is the main source of inspiration for my Substack and continues to produce high quality posts on psychiatry, EA, fiction, politics, etc - just subscribe if you haven't already.
