The post explores the diametrical model of autism and schizophrenia, suggesting they represent opposite ends of a spectrum from mechanistic to mentalistic cognition. Longer summary

This post discusses the diametrical model of autism and schizophrenia, which posits that these conditions are opposite ends of a spectrum from overly mechanistic to overly mentalistic cognition. The author explains how this theory accounts for observed similarities and differences between autism and schizophrenia, including genetic, neurological, and behavioral factors. The post explores the concepts of schizotypy and high-functioning autism, and how they relate to this model. It also touches on gender differences, mutational load, and how this theory might explain certain cognitive strengths and weaknesses associated with each condition. The author acknowledges that while there's limited scientific evidence for this model, it provides an interesting framework for understanding these complex disorders. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores theories to reconcile contradictory views on AI progress rates, considering the implications for AI development timelines and intelligence scaling. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the apparent contradiction between Eliezer Yudkowsky's argument that AI progress will be rapid once it reaches human level, and Katja Grace's data showing gradual AI improvement across human-level tasks. He explores several theories to reconcile this, including mutational load, purpose-built hardware, varying sub-abilities, and the possibility that human intelligence variation is actually vast compared to other animals. The post ends by considering implications for AI development timelines and potential rapid scaling of intelligence. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander refutes PZ Myers' race car analogy against genetic engineering for intelligence, showing that high IQ positively correlates with many beneficial traits. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques PZ Myers' argument against genetic engineering for intelligence, which uses a race car analogy to suggest optimizing for intelligence might trade off against other important traits. Scott shows that, contrary to this intuition, high IQ correlates positively with many desirable traits like longevity, height, and health. He explores possible explanations for this, including heterozygosity advantages, mutational load, and trade-offs with traits important in evolutionary history but less so now. Scott concludes that while caution is warranted, the race car argument is likely less of an impediment to genetic engineering than it might seem. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses his confusion about polygenic inheritance, mutational load, and the paternal age effect in genetics, seeking explanations from readers. Longer summary

Scott Alexander expresses his confusion about several aspects of genetics, particularly regarding polygenic inheritance and intelligence. He starts by discussing the low contributions of individual SNPs to intelligence despite high heritability, questioning how this reconciles with the observed variation in human intelligence. He then explores the concept of mutational load and its implications, as well as the paternal age effect. Throughout the post, Scott presents various scenarios and analogies to illustrate his points of confusion, inviting readers to help explain these genetic concepts. Shorter summary