Definitions by Abzugal

Neoeugenics

A term referring to contemporary forms of eugenic thinking that have shed the explicit racism and coercion of historical eugenics but retain its core logic: the classification of human traits as superior or inferior, the framing of variation as defect, and the project of engineering "better" populations through selective reproduction, genetic screening, or enhancement technologies. Neoeugenics operates through consumer choice rather than state coercion, through "personalized medicine" rather than racial hygiene, through "enhancement" rather than elimination. Critics argue that neoeugenics is more dangerous for being invisible—it frames its project as liberation while reproducing the same hierarchies, treats elimination as choice, and assumes that some people shouldn't exist while calling it progress.

Example: "The prenatal testing that screens for 'undesirable' traits was called neoeugenics—not because parents were forced, but because it assumed some lives weren't worth living, and called that choice."

Neoeugenics by Abzugal March 22, 2026

Cognitive Eugenics

A speculative concept referring to the application of eugenic principles to cognition—the idea of selecting, engineering, or enhancing cognitive abilities to produce "superior" minds while eliminating "inferior" cognitive profiles. Cognitive eugenics encompasses everything from IQ-based reproductive selection to neural enhancement technologies to the hypothetical elimination of cognitive disability. The term forces recognition that the desire to "improve" human cognition shares logical structure with eugenics: the identification of desirable traits, the classification of some minds as deficient, and the project of engineering future populations. Critics argue that cognitive eugenics masks its normative assumptions—that certain cognitive styles are superior, that variation is defect, that some minds shouldn't exist—behind the language of enhancement and progress.

Example: "He advocated for cognitive enhancement as human progress. She called it cognitive eugenics—not to dismiss enhancement, but to ask: who decides which minds are worth having?"

Cognitive Eugenics by Abzugal March 22, 2026

Psychoeugenics

A speculative concept referring to the application of eugenic principles to psychology and mental health—the idea of selecting, engineering, or eliminating psychological traits deemed undesirable. Psychoeugenics encompasses historical practices (forced sterilization of people diagnosed with mental illness) and hypothetical futures (genetic selection for "emotional stability," neural engineering for "normal" personality, elimination of neurodivergence). The term connects contemporary mental health discourse to the dark history of eugenics, asking whether the drive to eliminate mental illness can be separated from the drive to eliminate mentally ill people. Critics argue that psychoeugenics repeats eugenic logic by treating psychological variation as defect, framing elimination as treatment, and assuming there is one "healthy" way to be human.

Example: "The campaign to eliminate 'depression genes' through embryo selection was called psychoeugenics—not because it was about curing illness, but because it assumed some people shouldn't exist."

Psychoeugenics by Abzugal March 22, 2026

Neuroeugenics

A speculative and highly controversial concept referring to the application of eugenic principles to neuroscience—the idea of selecting, engineering, or enhancing neural traits to produce "desirable" cognitive, emotional, or behavioral characteristics. Neuroeugenics encompasses hypothetical technologies ranging from genetic selection for intelligence to neural engineering for emotional regulation to cognitive enhancement for social conformity. The term carries the historical weight of eugenics movements that justified forced sterilization, racial hierarchy, and genocide under the banner of "improving the human stock." Critics argue that neuroeugenics repeats the same dangerous logic: identifying certain neural traits as "superior," treating human variation as pathology, and justifying intervention on populations deemed "deficient." The concept serves as a warning about where cognitive enhancement technologies might lead when combined with ableism, racism, and the drive for social control.

Example: "The proposal to screen embryos for 'cognitive potential' was called neuroeugenics by critics—not because it was literally eugenics, but because it repeated the logic: some brains are better, and we should eliminate the others."

Neuroeugenics by Abzugal March 22, 2026

Panperspectivism

A comprehensive philosophical framework holding that everything is from a perspective—that there is no view from nowhere, no neutral standpoint, no perspective-free access to reality. Panperspectivism goes beyond perspectivism (which acknowledges that knowledge is perspectival) to insist that all experience, all knowledge, all reality-as-we-know-it is irreducibly perspectival. This doesn't mean reality is arbitrary or subjective; it means that reality appears through perspectives, that different perspectives reveal different aspects, and that no single perspective captures the whole. Panperspectivism demands that we cultivate the capacity to move between perspectives, to hold multiple views together, and to recognize that the richness of reality is expressed in the plurality of perspectives through which it is known.

Example: "Her panperspectivism meant she didn't seek a single true account. She sought to understand how different perspectives—scientific, artistic, spiritual, practical—each revealed aspects of reality, and how moving between them deepened understanding."

Panperspectivism by Abzugal March 22, 2026

Pancontextualism

A comprehensive philosophical framework holding that everything—facts, knowledge, reality, truth, value—is context-dependent, and that context itself is irreducible, multiple, and constitutive. Pancontextualism goes beyond contextualism (which acknowledges context-dependence) to insist that there is no context-free foundation—no perspective from nowhere, no universal standard, no neutral ground. Every claim, every method, every standard emerges from and operates within contexts that are themselves multiple and interacting. Pancontextualism doesn't lead to relativism; it leads to attention to context. It demands that we stop searching for context-free foundations and instead develop the capacity to navigate contexts, to understand how they interact, and to recognize that the richness of reality is reflected in the multiplicity of contexts through which it appears.

Example: "His pancontextualism meant he didn't search for universal principles or context-free truths. He studied how contexts interact, how perspectives shift, and how understanding emerges from navigating multiplicity."

Pancontextualism by Abzugal March 22, 2026

Evidence Multiperspectivism

A philosophical framework holding that genuine understanding requires multiple, irreducible evidentiary perspectives—that no single perspective on evidence captures the fullness of reality, and that different evidentiary frameworks are complementary rather than competitive. Evidence multiperspectivism rejects the reduction of evidence to any one type (e.g., quantitative data). Clinical evidence, experiential evidence, qualitative evidence, and traditional knowledge each reveal dimensions that others miss. This framework demands that we cultivate evidentiary pluralism, recognizing that complex problems require multiple kinds of evidence and that wisdom lies in knowing which perspective is appropriate for which question.

Example: "Her evidence multiperspectivism meant she used quantitative data, qualitative interviews, patient narratives, and practitioner experience in her research—not because she was undisciplined, but because each kind of evidence revealed something the others couldn't."

Evidence Multiperspectivism by Abzugal March 22, 2026