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scientific discovery (3)
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study critique (270)
book review (221)
AI (112)
economics (105)
effective altruism (105)
education (93)
creative writing (91)
debate (89)
forecasting (89)
politics (89)
prediction markets (88)
science (85)
AI safety (79)
media criticism (76)
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rationality (76)
psychiatry (73)
psychology (72)
mental health (69)
highlights from the comments (68)
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domain: slatestarcodex.com (1127 posts)
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Remember which posts I've read on this device
3 posts
Date
Length
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scientific progress (16) machine learning (12) history of science (3) scientific discovery (3)

The Low-Hanging Fruit Argument: Models And Predictions

Scott proposes a 'low-hanging fruit' model to explain trends in scientific discovery, using a foraging analogy to illustrate why early scientists make more discoveries and at a younger age.

acx
Apr 1, 2022 1,861 words 103 likes 240 comments Listen · 16 min Read Read
medical research (52) medical ethics (38) FDA (37) bureaucracy (17) drug approval (10) healthcare regulation (4) scientific discovery (3) fish oil (2) infant health (2)

Details Of The Infant Fish Oil Story

Scott Alexander corrects and expands on the story of Omegaven, a life-saving infant nutritional fluid, using it to illustrate systemic issues with medical regulation and drug approval.

acx
Aug 6, 2021 3,615 words 131 likes 275 comments Listen · 25 min Read Read
artificial intelligence (24) cognitive science (15) creativity (7) drug use (5) dreams (4) scientific discovery (3) metaphors (2)

Negative Creativity

Scott Alexander suggests humans have 'negative creativity' due to cognitive 'ruts', and explores ways to escape these ruts, arguing that AI might have an advantage in creative thinking.

ssc
Aug 5, 2014 935 words 0 likes 71 comments Read Read
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