Definitions by Dumu The Void

Fact Biases

Biases in how facts are established, communicated, and trusted. Fact Biases include: treating some domains as factual and others as mere opinion; assuming facts are simple when they're complex; privileging facts that fit narratives; ignoring facts that challenge identity; treating "fact" as a conversation-ender rather than a contribution. Fact Biases are what happen when facts become weapons—used to end discussion rather than enable it.

Fact Biases "It's a fact, so discussion over!" That's Fact Bias—treating facts as endpoints rather than contributions. Facts matter, but they don't settle meaning; they don't determine values; they don't end inquiry. Fact bias is what happens when facts become idols instead of tools. Facts inform; they don't replace thinking."

Fact Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Proof Biases

Biases related to what counts as proof, how much proof is required, and who gets to demand proof from whom. Proof Biases include: demanding impossible standards of proof from marginalized groups; accepting weak proof from powerful institutions; treating absence of proof as proof of absence; requiring proof for some claims but not others; using "proof" as a gatekeeping concept to dismiss what threatens established views. Proof Biases are about power as much as epistemology—who has to prove, who gets to demand proof, whose proof counts.

Proof Biases "They demanded proof of systemic racism. When shown statistics, they demanded personal stories. When shown stories, they demanded experiments. When experiments aren't possible, they concluded it doesn't exist. That's Proof Bias—moving the goalposts because you don't want to see. Proof isn't neutral when some have to prove and others just get to assert."

Proof Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Evidence Biases

Systematic distortions in what counts as evidence, how evidence is gathered, and how evidence is weighed. Evidence Biases include: privileging quantitative over qualitative evidence; treating anecdotal evidence as worthless even when it's all that's available; demanding evidence from those who lack power while accepting it from those who have it; ignoring evidence that doesn't fit the frame; collecting evidence only where it's easy or funded. Evidence Biases shape not just what we know but what we can know—what counts as a fact and what gets dismissed as mere anecdote.

Evidence Biases "She shared her experience of discrimination. Response: 'That's just anecdotal—where's the real evidence?' That's Evidence Bias—treating personal testimony as worthless while demanding quantitative studies that don't exist. Experience is evidence; it's just not the kind you're used to. Evidence biases make us miss what's in front of us because it doesn't fit our evidence categories."

Evidence Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Scientific Biases

Similar to Science Biases but emphasizing biases within scientific practice itself—the assumptions, preferences, and blind spots that scientists bring to their work. Scientific Biases include: theoretical bias (preferring data that fits your theory); methodological bias (preferring certain methods over others); career bias (pursuing publishable results over true ones); paradigm bias (resisting challenges to established frameworks). Scientific Biases are what Kuhn described—science isn't just data collection; it's human activity, with all the biases that entails.

Scientific Biases "He dismissed the findings because they didn't fit the dominant theory. That's Scientific Bias—paradigm protection dressed as rigor. Scientists are human; they have investments in theories, careers, reputations. Those investments bias what they see and what they accept. Good science acknowledges this; bad science pretends it doesn't happen."

Scientific Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Science Biases

Systematic distortions that arise from the way science is practiced, institutionalized, and understood. Science Biases include: publication bias (positive results get published, negative results don't); funding bias (research gets funded when it serves interests); confirmation bias in study design; bias toward what's measurable over what's meaningful; bias toward Western, educated, industrial, rich, democratic (WEIRD) populations; bias against null results, replication studies, or challenging paradigms. Science Biases don't mean science is wrong—they mean science is human, and humans have biases that shape what gets studied and what gets found.

Science Biases "Why do we know so much about drug effects and so little about nutrition? That's Science Bias—funding goes where profit is. Why do psychology studies use undergrads? That's Science Bias—convenience shapes knowledge. Science biases aren't conspiracies; they're structural. Recognizing them doesn't invalidate science—it makes science better."

Science Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Reason Biases

The broadest category: biases that affect how reason itself is understood, valued, and practiced. Reason Biases include: treating reason as a faculty rather than a practice; assuming reason is separate from culture, history, or embodiment; privileging Western traditions of reason over others; using "reason" as a gatekeeping concept to exclude non-dominant ways of knowing. Reason Biases are what happen when reason becomes a possession rather than a process—something some have and others lack.

Reason Biases "He keeps saying 'just use reason' as if reason were simple, universal, available to all equally. That's Reason Bias—ignoring that reason is practiced differently in different traditions, that access to reason is shaped by power, that 'reason' often means 'my way of thinking.' Reason isn't a light switch; it's a lifetime of learning. Bias makes it a weapon."

Reason Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Rational Biases

Systematic distortions that arise from the way rationality is defined, valued, and deployed in different contexts. Rational Biases include: assuming that rationality is universal rather than culturally specific; treating emotional responses as inherently irrational; privileging instrumental reason (means-end calculation) over other forms of reason; assuming that rational actors exist in economic theory; using "rational" as a term of approval rather than a description. Rational Biases shape not just how we think but how we judge thinking—in ourselves and others.

Rational Biases "She called his response 'emotional' and therefore irrational. That's Rational Bias—assuming emotion and reason are opposites. But emotions can be rational responses to situations; reason without emotion is calculation without wisdom. Rational biases make us miss the rationality in feeling and the feeling in rationality."

Rational Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026