Definitions by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal

Cult of Doctors

A critical term referring to the neo‑atheist practice of thanking doctors, nurses, or “science” instead of God or spiritual beings—often performatively, as a ritual of secular piety. In this “cult,” doctors are elevated to the status of high priests, hospitals become temples, and medical science is treated as a source of salvation and moral authority. Adherents post social media memes (“Thank a doctor, not God”), attend rallies for healthcare as a secular sacrament, and treat any critique of medical authority as blasphemy. While genuine gratitude for healthcare workers is legitimate, the Cult of Doctors turns it into a weapon against religious belief, implying that only secular medicine can save you. Critics note that this cult ignores the social determinants of health (poverty, racism) and reduces healing to technocratic worship.

Cult of Doctors Example: “He tweeted ‘Thank a doctor, not sky daddy’ after his surgery, then dismissed his grandmother’s prayers as worthless. The Cult of Doctors had turned gratitude into anti‑theist performance.”

Cult of Doctors by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026

Scientific Naiveté

A stance where one trusts scientific authority uncritically, often conflating idealised science (the method) with institutional science (the fallible human activity). The scientifically naive person believes that “science” is a unified, value‑free, self‑correcting enterprise; that peer review guarantees truth; that published results are reliable; and that experts always agree. They are shocked by replication crises, fraud, or funding bias. Scientific naiveté is the opposite of scientific literacy: it knows the slogans but not the messy reality. It leaves one vulnerable to scientism and to manipulation by bad actors who speak in science’s name.

Scientific Naiveté Example: “The scientifically naive person cited a single study as ‘proof’ and was outraged when a later study contradicted it. They had never heard of publication bias, p‑hacking, or the replication crisis.”

Scientific Naiveté by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026

Scientific Defaultism

A cognitive bias and rhetorical tactic common within hard‑narrow scientism and its allied ideologies, where one assumes that the scientific perspective is the default, neutral, or objective position, and that any deviation from it carries an extra burden of proof. Scientific defaultism treats non‑scientific views (spiritual, philosophical, indigenous) as inherently suspect, requiring extraordinary evidence, while scientific assumptions remain unexamined. It is a form of epistemic gatekeeping that privileges Western science as the universal standard. The “default” is not neutral; it is a particular worldview disguised as common sense.

Scientific Defaultism Example: “The scientific defaultist demanded ‘proof’ of a spiritual experience but never demanded proof that materialism is true. His default wasn’t neutral—it was a specific metaphysics.”

Scientific Defaultism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026

Neurocentrism

The broader belief that the brain is the central, most important, or only organ relevant to understanding mind and behavior, and that other levels of explanation (psychological, social, cultural, economic) are either reducible to neuroscience or irrelevant. Neurocentrism manifests in funding priorities (brain research over public health), in the claim that “mental illness is brain disease” (ignoring life history and social context), and in the dismissal of talk therapy as “not biological.” Critics argue that neurocentrism is a form of biological reductionism that impoverishes our understanding of persons.

Neurocentrism Example: “The neurocentrist insisted that schizophrenia is just a brain disorder, ignoring that social support and meaningful work are as predictive of outcomes as medication. He reduced a person to their dopamine receptors.”

Neurocentrism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026

Dopaminism

Also Dopaminergic Thought, A secular neuroscientist religion that treats the neurotransmitter dopamine as the explanatory key to human motivation, reward, addiction, creativity, and even political orientation. Dopaminergic thought holds that “dopamine drives all seeking behavior,” that creative people have “dopaminergic personality,” and that politics can be reduced to dopamine receptor density. It is a reductionist fad that ignores that dopamine’s role is complex, context‑dependent, and interacts with other neurotransmitters and with social factors. Critics call it “neuro‑phrenology.”

Dopaminism Example: “The dopaminergic thinker explained a protest movement as ‘dopamine‑seeking thrill behavior,’ ignoring the real grievances and organizing work. His reductionism erased politics in favor of chemistry.”

Dopaminism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026

Brainism

A colloquial synonym for encephalocentrism or neurocentrism, often used pejoratively. Brainism treats the brain as the only relevant organ for understanding mind, reducing all mental phenomena to neural activity and dismissing psychological, social, or spiritual explanations as “folk.” It is common in pop‑neuroscience headlines (“This is your brain on politics”). Brainism ignores that brains develop in bodies, bodies in environments, and environments in cultures. It is a form of intellectual laziness that mistakes a necessary condition (you need a brain) for a sufficient explanation.

Brainism Example: “The brainist claimed that ‘poverty is a brain condition’ after reading one fMRI study. He ignored decades of economic and sociological research showing structural causes. Brainism as ideology.”

Brainism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026

Encephalocentrism

The belief that the brain (encephalon) is the exclusive seat of mind, consciousness, and identity, and that everything about a person can be explained by studying their brain. Encephalocentrism dismisses the role of the body (gut feelings, heart rate, posture), the environment (tools, spaces), and social interaction (distributed cognition) in shaping thought. It is the neurocentrist version of brain‑body dualism: it treats the brain as a computer running software, and the rest of the person as mere hardware. Critics advocate for embodied, extended, or enactive views of cognition.

Encephalocentrism Example: “The encephalocentrist argued that ‘you are your connectome’ and that mind‑uploading would preserve the person. He ignored that memory, identity, and emotion are also stored in bodies, relationships, and places.”

Encephalocentrism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026