In simple terms, Moloch, often referred to as a "monster," represents something in society that consumes or sacrifices people's well-being, often for its own benefit. It's like a metaphorical beast that demands sacrifices.

For example, imagine a company that puts profit above the safety and happiness of its employees. It might require employees to work long hours, jeopardizing their health and family time, just to make more money. In this scenario, the company could be seen as a "Moloch" because it's sacrificing the well-being of its workers for its own gain.

Another example could be a city where people are stuck in traffic jams for hours every day because they all want to take the shortest route to work. Each person's individual decision to choose the fastest route actually makes traffic worse for everyone. This situation is like "Moloch" because even though no one wants traffic jams, they all end up contributing to the problem.

Moloch is a way of describing situations where people or institutions prioritize their interests over the welfare of others, often with harmful consequences.

The concept of the "Moloch Monster" as popularized by blogger and writer Scott Alexander, is a metaphorical idea used to describe a range of collective action problems and societal dilemmas. It draws upon various principles and scientific topics in social science and economics. Here's an explanation related to broader principles:

1. Collective Action Problems: Moloch embodies the idea of collective action problems, where individual rational decisions can lead to suboptimal or harmful outcomes for the group as a whole. This concept is foundational in game theory and economics.
2. Game Theory: Moloch scenarios often involve elements of game theory, where individuals make choices based on their perceived self-interest, leading to outcomes that are worse for everyone.
3. Tragedy of the Commons: The idea of Moloch is closely related to the Tragedy of the Commons, which describes situations where shared resources are overused and depleted because individuals pursue their self-interest without considering the common good.
4. Prisoner's Dilemma: Moloch often resembles a variant of the prisoner's dilemma, where two individuals making rational choices lead to an outcome that is worse for both, highlighting the conflict between individual and collective interests.
5. Public Goods: The Moloch concept relates to public goods theory, where resources or services that benefit everyone (e.g., clean air, public health) can suffer from underinvestment when individuals act in their immediate self-interest.
6. Institutional Design: Discussions of Moloch often touch upon the design of institutions and policies to mitigate collective action problems and promote the common good.

Scott Alexander's writings, particularly his blog "Slate Star Codex" (now "Astral Codex Ten"), often use the concept of Moloch to explore societal challenges where individual decisions, despite being rational in isolation, contribute to negative outcomes at the collective level. It serves as a thought-provoking lens through which to analyze complex social dilemmas and the need for cooperative solutions.

References

• Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162(3859), 1243-1248.
• Binmore, K. (2007). Playing for Real: A Text on Game Theory. Oxford University Press.
• Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge University Press.
• Axelrod, R. (1984). The Evolution of Cooperation. Basic Books.
• Samuelson, P. A. (1954). The Pure Theory of Public Expenditure. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 36(4), 387-389.
• Ostrom, E. (2005). Understanding Institutional Diversity. Princeton University Press.

More Resources

• Slate Star Codex: Meditations on Moloch