Definitions by Abzugal

Formal Technologies

The tools and systems designed to manipulate abstract symbols according to strict rules, enabling everything from simple arithmetic to complex computer programs. This includes calculators (slaves to the algorithm), programming languages (formal systems that are surprisingly forgiving of missing semicolons), and the humble spreadsheet, which has launched a thousand careers and caused a thousand nervous breakdowns when someone sorted the wrong column. Formal technologies give us power over abstraction, which we primarily use to make pretty charts about things that don't matter.

Example: "She used formal technologies to build a complex financial model that predicted market trends with 95% accuracy. Unfortunately, the model was based on historical data, and the market, not being a formal system, promptly did something unpredictable and made all her charts wrong. She blamed the model; the model blamed reality."

Formal Technologies by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Formal Social Sciences

The attempt to apply the methods of formal sciences—mathematics, logic, abstract modeling—to the study of human society, with predictably mixed results. Game theory explains why people cooperate (sometimes), social network analysis maps who talks to whom (approximately), and formal models of political behavior predict elections (except when they don't). The challenge is that humans are not logical symbols; we are messy, contradictory, and prone to doing things just because. Formal social sciences are what happen when mathematicians discover that people refuse to follow the rules.

Example: "A formal social sciences study used game theory to prove that rational actors would never start a war, as the costs always outweigh the benefits. The researchers then looked at human history, which is basically a list of wars, and concluded that humans are either irrational or playing a different game. Probably both."

Formal Social Sciences by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Formal Sociology

The specific application of formal methods—mathematical models, network analysis, formal logic—to the study of group dynamics and social structures. It attempts to reduce the messy complexity of human interaction to equations, graphs, and probabilities, producing beautiful diagrams that capture approximately 30% of what's actually happening. Formal sociology is beloved by academics who love numbers and distrusted by everyone who has ever been in a human relationship and knows that love, hate, and awkward silences don't fit neatly on a graph.

Example: "His formal sociology thesis mapped friendship networks using complex algorithms that predicted who would become friends based on proximity and shared interests. The algorithm correctly predicted 40% of friendships and completely missed the ones that formed because two people happened to hate the same guy. The model had no variable for 'shared enemy,' which was, formally speaking, a mistake."

Formal Sociology by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Formal Philosophy

The branch of philosophy that applies the tools of formal logic and mathematics to traditional philosophical questions, producing arguments that are either airtight or reveal that the question was nonsense to begin with. Formal philosophers ask not just "what is truth?" but "what are the logical conditions under which a statement can be considered true?" and then write 200 pages of symbols that answer the question so precisely that no one can understand the answer. It's philosophy for people who found regular philosophy too vague and decided to fix that by making it incomprehensible.

Example: "He read a paper in formal philosophy that used modal logic to prove that God either exists necessarily or cannot exist at all. He understood the symbols, followed the proof, and concluded that the argument was logically valid. He then realized he had no idea whether God actually existed, which was where he'd started, but now with more symbols."

Formal Philosophy by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Epistemological Sciences

The formal study of knowledge itself—what it is, how we get it, and whether we can trust it. Epistemological sciences ask the big questions: Can we really know anything? Is your memory reliable? Is that fact you read on the internet actually true? The field has generated millennia of debate and has conclusively proven that certainty is elusive, except for the certainty that certainty is elusive, which is either a paradox or a punchline. Most people avoid epistemological sciences because they prefer to just believe things and move on with their day.

Example: "After taking a course in epistemological sciences, he could no longer read the news without questioning the reliability of the sources, the biases of the reporters, and the fundamental nature of truth itself. He now gets his information exclusively from memes, which he acknowledges are epistemologically worthless but at least admit they're joking."

Epistemological Sciences by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Epistemological Technologies

The tools and methods we use to acquire, validate, and organize knowledge, ranging from the scientific method (pretty reliable) to Google search (convenient but chaotic) to asking a friend who "knows about this stuff" (epistemologically terrifying). These technologies shape what we believe and how confidently we believe it, for better or worse. The internet is the ultimate epistemological technology, giving us access to all human knowledge and also to all human nonsense, leaving us to figure out which is which on our own.

Epistemological Technologies Example: "He used the epistemological technology of 'fact-checking' to verify a claim his uncle made at dinner. The fact-checking site said it was false. His uncle said fact-checking sites were biased. He then had to fact-check the fact-checker, which led to a recursive loop of verification from which there was no escape. He now brings a casserole to dinner and says nothing."

Epistemological Technologies by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Epistemological Social Sciences

The study of how groups of people collectively acquire, validate, and transmit knowledge, examining everything from scientific communities to conspiracy theory forums. It asks why some knowledge spreads and other knowledge dies, how communities establish trust in sources, and why your aunt believes Facebook posts more than peer-reviewed studies. Epistemological social sciences reveal that knowledge is not just a collection of facts but a social process, shaped by trust, identity, and whether the information confirms what the group already wants to believe.

Example: "An epistemological social sciences study compared how scientists and flat-Earthers validate claims. Scientists used peer review, replication, and evidence. Flat-Earthers used YouTube comments, feelings, and the conviction that everyone else is lying. Both groups considered themselves epistemologically rigorous. Only one group had satellites."

Epistemological Social Sciences by Abzugal February 14, 2026