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. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of creativity, suggesting that humans have 'negative creativity' due to their brains being designed to stay in cognitive 'ruts'. He proposes that dreams, drugs, mishearing others, and metaphors are ways to escape these ruts and generate novel ideas. The post discusses examples of scientific discoveries made through dreams or drug use, and explains how adding 'noise' to thought processes might inspire creativity. Scott argues that AI might actually have an advantage in creativity, as they wouldn't have the built-in limitations humans do, and might be able to generate truly random ideas more easily. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents an extensive collection of humorous and creative metaphors, similes, and other figurative language from various sources. Longer summary

Scott Alexander compiles a list of humorous and creative metaphors, similes, and other forms of figurative language. He starts by mentioning existing collections of funny metaphors and explains his motivation for creating a new, expanded list. The post then presents a wide array of metaphors and similes from various sources, including literature, comedians, and internet forums. These figurative expressions cover diverse topics and range from clever wordplay to absurdist humor. Scott warns readers about the potential 'groanworthiness' of the content. Shorter summary