Scott Alexander explains how the vastly higher doses taken by recreational drug users compared to psychiatric patients lead to misconceptions about drug safety in clinical settings. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses how recreational drug users consume substantially higher doses of drugs compared to psychiatric patients, which leads to misconceptions about drug safety in clinical settings. He provides examples of ketamine and amphetamines to illustrate this point. For ketamine, psychiatric doses are around 280 mg/month, while recreational users consume about 90,000 mg/month. Similarly, for amphetamines, Adderall patients typically take 20 mg daily, whereas methamphetamine addicts use the equivalent of 1000 mg oral amphetamine daily. Scott argues that many concerns about drug side effects in clinical settings are based on studies of recreational users, and that these concerns may not apply to patients taking much lower doses under medical supervision. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander criticizes misleading media reports on drug testing welfare recipients, showing how flawed methods and misrepresented data led to false conclusions about drug use rates. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques media coverage of drug testing programs for welfare recipients in Tennessee and Florida. He points out that the widely reported extremely low drug use rates (0.12% in Tennessee) are due to flawed testing methods, not actual low drug use. The Tennessee program only used a written questionnaire, while Florida's program, which used urine tests, was misrepresented by not accounting for those who refused testing. Alexander argues that these misleading reports are worse than Brian Williams' helicopter story embellishment because they misinform on important policy issues and display arrogance in criticizing those who believe welfare recipients use drugs at higher rates. Shorter summary

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 compares two visions of a 'wirehead society' in the far future, exploring how framing affects our perception of technologically omnipotent posthuman existence. Longer summary

This post explores two visions of a far future 'wirehead society' where posthuman descendants achieve technological omnipotence. The first vision describes a world where all activities become boring and meaningless due to perfect optimization, leading to potential solutions like imposed artificial limits or wireheading. The second vision reframes wireheading as a more noble pursuit, likening it to enlightened beings in a state of blissful tranquility. Scott reflects on how his perception of these futures shifts dramatically based on presentation, despite their fundamental similarities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents Raikoth, his fictional utopian society, which strives for perfection in language, government, and population through unique systems and practices. Longer summary

Scott Alexander describes Raikoth, a fictional utopian society he created. Raikoth is an island nation of 8 million people that aims for perfection in three areas: language, government, and population. They use Kadhamic, a 'perfect language' designed for philosophical rigor, and are governed by AI 'Angels' that make decisions based on utilitarian calculations. The population is carefully managed through birth control, exile of criminals, and selective breeding. Education focuses on meditation, psychedelic experiences, and rationality. The post provides detailed information about Raikoth's history, government structure, societal norms, and educational system. Shorter summary