Definitions by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal
Psychosification
The act of reductively explaining any human experience, belief, or behavior—religious visions, spiritual insights, political convictions, even legal systems—as symptoms of psychosis, delusions, or schizophrenia. Common in online mental health communities like r/Psychosis, where users pathologize everything from mystical experiences to economic opinions. Psychosification erases the distinction between clinical psychosis (a condition with specific diagnostic criteria) and ordinary or culturally normative beliefs. It transforms difference into disease, treating any worldview outside a narrow materialist‑individualist frame as a symptom of illness. Critics argue that psychosification is itself a form of epistemic violence: it silences spiritual traditions, dismisses social critique as “delusional,” and delegitimizes non‑Western ways of knowing.
Psychosification Example: “When he shared his indigenous ancestor visions online, a commenter called it psychosis. Psychosification: diagnosing cultural spirituality as mental illness because it doesn’t fit secular materialism.”
Psychosification by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026
Scientific Religion
A system of belief that uses the language, authority, and iconography of science to fulfill the functions of traditional religion: providing meaning, moral guidance, community, and a sense of salvation. It has dogmas (materialism, reductionism, progress), high priests (celebrity scientists), sacred texts (pop‑science books), rituals (peer review, conferences), and eschatology (technological singularity, space colonization). Scientific religion preaches that science will solve all problems, that dissent is heresy, and that non‑scientific ways of knowing are worthless. Critics argue that this religion is self‑refuting: its core claims about the supremacy of science cannot be scientifically proven. It is a faith disguised as reason.
Scientific Religion Example: “The Scientific Religion devotee told a grieving widow that ‘consciousness is just neurons, so she isn’t really gone—she’s just ceased to compute.’ He offered cold reductionism as a secular sermon, mistaking it for comfort.”
Scientific Religion by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026
Anti-Pseudoscience Cult
A sect within hard‑narrow scientism that wages a crusade against everything labeled “pseudoscience,” often with religious fervor. Its adherents maintain lists of forbidden practices (homeopathy, astrology, acupuncture), patrol online forums for heretics, and engage in digital vigilantism—mass‑reporting, doxxing, or ridiculing anyone who questions scientific orthodoxy. The cult treats pseudoscience as a moral evil, not just an epistemic error, and its members gain status by debunking. Critics note that this cult often conflates legitimate heterodoxy with fraud, uses the demarcation guillotine arbitrarily, and reproduces the very dogmatism it claims to oppose. Its methods are inquisitorial, not skeptical.
Anti-Pseudoscience Cult Example: “The Anti‑Pseudoscience Cult member spent hours exposing a small Instagram astrology account, but never questioned the ‘science’ of corporate‑funded nutrition studies. Her crusade was selective, not skeptical.”
Anti-Pseudoscience Cult by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026
Cult of Evidence
A broader version of the Cult of Scientific Evidence, extending beyond science to any form of evidence—but always demanding that evidence be explicit, verifiable, and preferably quantitative. Adherents say “show me the evidence” for everything, from love to justice to historical events, treating the inability to produce immediate documentation as proof of falsehood. This cult confuses the map with the territory: it demands that all reality be translated into evidential form, then mistakes that form for reality itself. It is common in online debates, where “evidence?” is used as a reflexive dismissal. Critics argue that much of what matters in life (trust, loyalty, beauty) cannot be reduced to evidence without distortion.
Cult of Evidence Example: “The Cult of Evidence follower demanded a source for her statement that she was in love. When she said ‘I just am,’ he declared her claim irrational. He had forgotten that evidence is not the same as truth.”
Cult of Evidence by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026
Cult of Scientific Proof
A sect that worships “proof” as the ultimate epistemic standard, demanding that every claim be proven beyond any possible doubt—by scientific methods, ideally by randomized controlled trials and meta‑analyses. Adherents reject probabilistic evidence, circumstantial evidence, or practical certainty. They engage in proofposting: demanding impossible levels of evidence from opponents while offering none for their own positions. The Cult of Scientific Proof confuses scientific knowledge (which is always provisional, probabilistic) with mathematical certainty. It is a favorite of online debaters who use “prove it” as a conversation‑stopper. Critics note that this cult would paralyze all real‑world decision‑making, including science itself.
Cult of Scientific Proof Example: “The Cult of Scientific Proof follower demanded a systematic review proving that smoking causes lung cancer—decades after the evidence was settled. He was performing skepticism, not seeking truth.”
Cult of Scientific Evidence
A sect that treats “evidence” as a sacred object, demanding that every belief be backed by peer‑reviewed, replicable, quantitative evidence—and dismissing any other form of knowing (experience, testimony, tradition) as worthless. Adherents worship systematic reviews and meta‑analyses as the highest form of scripture. They often commit the evidence guillotine: slicing away context, meaning, and value from data. The Cult of Scientific Evidence ignores that evidence never speaks for itself; it is always interpreted within frameworks of values, assumptions, and paradigms. It is a core component of evidence‑based everything fundamentalism.
Example: “The Cult of Scientific Evidence adherent rejected his grandmother’s herbal remedy because ‘there’s no RCT.’ He ignored centuries of lived experience and cultural knowledge. Evidence had become an idol.”
Cult of Scientific Evidence
A sect that treats “evidence” as a sacred object, demanding that every belief be backed by peer‑reviewed, replicable, quantitative evidence—and dismissing any other form of knowing (experience, testimony, tradition) as worthless. Adherents worship systematic reviews and meta‑analyses as the highest form of scripture. They often commit the evidence guillotine: slicing away context, meaning, and value from data. The Cult of Scientific Evidence ignores that evidence never speaks for itself; it is always interpreted within frameworks of values, assumptions, and paradigms. It is a core component of evidence‑based everything fundamentalism.
Example: “The Cult of Scientific Evidence adherent rejected his grandmother’s herbal remedy because ‘there’s no RCT.’ He ignored centuries of lived experience and cultural knowledge. Evidence had become an idol.”
Cult of Scientific Proof by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026
Cult of the Scientific Method
A sect within the Cult of Science that fetishizes a specific, textbook version of the scientific method—hypothesis, experiment, conclusion—as the only legitimate path to knowledge. Adherents demand that every claim, from political opinions to personal preferences, be validated by this method. They reject historical sciences (geology, cosmology), qualitative research, and indigenous knowledge as “unscientific.” The Cult of the Scientific Method treats the method as a magic ritual: follow the steps, and truth will appear. It ignores that actual science is messy, methodologically plural, and often proceeds by intuition, luck, or serendipity. This cult is a hallmark of hard‑narrow scientism.
Cult of the Scientific Method Example: “The Cult of the Scientific Method devotee dismissed his friend’s experience of discrimination as ‘anecdotal’ and demanded a double‑blind RCT. He didn’t understand that some truths are accessed differently.”
Cult of the Scientific Method by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026
Cult of Science
A broader version of the Cult of Doctors, treating Science (capital S) as a quasi‑divine entity—omniscient, infallible, and the sole source of truth and meaning. Adherents speak of “Science” as if it were a sentient being (“Science tells us…”), treat scientific consensus as sacred dogma, and view dissent as heresy. They gather in online forums to defend Science against “denialists,” recite its findings as scripture, and demand obedience in the name of rationality. The Cult of Science often conflates the fallible, messy institution of science (with its funding biases, replication crises, and career pressures) with an idealized, pure method. Critics argue that this cult is a secular religion for late‑capitalist technocracy.
Cult of Science Example: “The Cult of Science follower declared that ‘Science has proven free will doesn’t exist’ and refused to discuss any philosophical counterarguments. Science had become his god, not his tool.”
Cult of Science by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 5, 2026