Definitions by Dumu The Void
Naturalist Dogmatism
The uncritical, unquestioning acceptance of naturalism as simply “how things are,” without awareness that naturalism is a philosophical stance, not a proven fact. The naturalist dogmatist treats their worldview as common sense and any deviation as obviously mistaken, rarely examining the assumptions that underlie naturalism itself (e.g., that all causes are physical). This dogmatism is invisible to the dogmatist, who sees themselves as simply “realistic.”
Example: “She assumed that souls couldn’t exist because science doesn’t measure them—naturalist dogmatism, mistaking absence of evidence for evidence of absence.”
Naturalist Orthodoxy
The dominant, institutionalized set of naturalist beliefs and practices within mainstream science, philosophy, and education, enforced through curricula, funding priorities, and professional gatekeeping. Naturalist orthodoxy determines what questions are “scientific,” what explanations are acceptable, and who is considered a serious thinker. It often marginalizes non‑naturalist approaches (e.g., panpsychism, idealism) as unscientific, even when they are internally coherent and empirically plausible. Like all orthodoxies, it shapes what can be thought.
Example: “The university’s philosophy department hired only naturalists—naturalist orthodoxy, using hiring to enforce metaphysical conformity.”
Naturalist Orthodoxy
The dominant, institutionalized set of naturalist beliefs and practices within mainstream science, philosophy, and education, enforced through curricula, funding priorities, and professional gatekeeping. Naturalist orthodoxy determines what questions are “scientific,” what explanations are acceptable, and who is considered a serious thinker. It often marginalizes non‑naturalist approaches (e.g., panpsychism, idealism) as unscientific, even when they are internally coherent and empirically plausible. Like all orthodoxies, it shapes what can be thought.
Example: “The university’s philosophy department hired only naturalists—naturalist orthodoxy, using hiring to enforce metaphysical conformity.”
Naturalist Dogmatism by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026
Naturalist Fanaticism
An obsessive, uncritical devotion to naturalism, where the fanatic attacks any hint of non‑naturalist thinking with disproportionate fervor. Naturalist fanatics cannot tolerate discussion of consciousness, meaning, or ethics that does not reduce to physical processes, and they often dogpile on anyone who suggests that naturalism might have limits. Their zeal for naturalism makes them unable to engage with philosophy of mind, religious studies, or even some areas of physics that challenge naive materialism.
Example: “When a philosopher mentioned panpsychism, he immediately called it ‘woo’ and refused to discuss it—naturalist fanaticism, treating a serious position as unworthy of examination.”
Naturalist Fundamentalism
A rigid, literalist adherence to a specific version of naturalism (often reductive physicalism) as if it were an infallible doctrine, rejecting any evidence or argument that might challenge it. The naturalist fundamentalist treats the non‑existence of the supernatural as a proven fact, not a methodological assumption, and they dismiss alternative ontologies without consideration. They often rely on a small set of “sacred” texts (e.g., Dawkins, Dennett) and treat critics as heretics.
Example: “He claimed that consciousness was ‘just neurons’ and refused to read any philosopher who disagreed—naturalist fundamentalism, treating a metaphysical stance as a settled empirical finding.”
Naturalist Fundamentalism
A rigid, literalist adherence to a specific version of naturalism (often reductive physicalism) as if it were an infallible doctrine, rejecting any evidence or argument that might challenge it. The naturalist fundamentalist treats the non‑existence of the supernatural as a proven fact, not a methodological assumption, and they dismiss alternative ontologies without consideration. They often rely on a small set of “sacred” texts (e.g., Dawkins, Dennett) and treat critics as heretics.
Example: “He claimed that consciousness was ‘just neurons’ and refused to read any philosopher who disagreed—naturalist fundamentalism, treating a metaphysical stance as a settled empirical finding.”
Naturalist Fanaticism by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026
Physicalist Supremacism
The belief that physicalism—the view that everything that exists is physical (or supervenes on the physical)—is the supreme metaphysical truth, superior to any form of dualism, idealism, or emergentism. The physicalist supremacist dismisses mental causation, consciousness, and intentionality as either illusions or “nothing but” physical processes, often without engaging with the arguments against reduction. They treat physicalism as the default for any educated person and view non‑physicalists as confused or unscientific.
Example: “He insisted that love was ‘just neurotransmitters’ and that any other view was unscientific—physicalist supremacism, reducing human experience to its physical correlates.”
Physicalist Supremacism by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026
Naturalist Supremacism
The belief that naturalism—the view that only natural entities, causes, and explanations are real—is not just a useful methodological stance but the supreme metaphysical truth, superior to any form of supernatural or spiritual belief. The naturalist supremacist holds that any claim about spirits, gods, or non‑material realities is automatically false and that those who hold such beliefs are intellectually deficient. This attitude dismisses entire religious and indigenous worldviews without serious engagement, often while claiming to be simply “following science.” It is a form of metaphysical colonialism.
Example: “He declared that any belief in non‑physical reality was ‘primitive superstition’—naturalist supremacism, dismissing millennia of human experience as mere error.”
Naturalist Supremacism by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026
Rational Dogmatism
The uncritical, unquestioning acceptance of a particular set of rational principles, often absorbed from one’s education or subculture, without openness to alternative ways of thinking. The rational dogmatist treats their own rationality as simply “clear thinking” and dismisses other frameworks as obviously inferior. They rarely examine their own assumptions about what counts as a “good reason” and react defensively when those assumptions are questioned.
Example: “She claimed she was ‘just being rational’ but couldn’t articulate why her premises were better than his—rational dogmatism, mistaking habit for objectivity.”
Rational Orthodoxy
The dominant, institutionalized set of rational norms and practices within academia, policy, and business, enforced through education, professional standards, and media discourse. Rational orthodoxy privileges analytical, quantitative, cost‑benefit reasoning, treats emotional or intuitive knowledge as suspect, and often marginalizes alternative rationalities (e.g., care ethics, indigenous rationality). It determines what counts as a “sound decision” in many contexts and who gets to be called “reasonable.” It can become a tool for excluding those who think differently.
Example: “The committee rejected community‑based proposals as ‘not rational’ because they lacked formal cost‑benefit analysis—rational orthodoxy, using one model of reason to exclude others.”
Rational Orthodoxy
The dominant, institutionalized set of rational norms and practices within academia, policy, and business, enforced through education, professional standards, and media discourse. Rational orthodoxy privileges analytical, quantitative, cost‑benefit reasoning, treats emotional or intuitive knowledge as suspect, and often marginalizes alternative rationalities (e.g., care ethics, indigenous rationality). It determines what counts as a “sound decision” in many contexts and who gets to be called “reasonable.” It can become a tool for excluding those who think differently.
Example: “The committee rejected community‑based proposals as ‘not rational’ because they lacked formal cost‑benefit analysis—rational orthodoxy, using one model of reason to exclude others.”
Rational Dogmatism by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026
Rational Fanaticism
An obsessive, uncritical devotion to rational argumentation, where the fanatic demands that every aspect of life—love, grief, art, faith—be justified rationally. Rational fanatics cannot accept that some domains are not amenable to rational proof and become distressed or angry when others operate outside their framework. They often try to “rationally explain” away emotions, personal experiences, or cultural practices, causing social friction and personal isolation. Their fanaticism for reason is itself irrational, as it refuses to recognize reason’s limits.
Example: “When she said she loved her dog, he asked for a rational justification—rational fanaticism, unable to accept that some truths are lived, not argued.”
Rational Fundamentalism
A rigid, literalist adherence to a specific model of rationality (e.g., Bayesian updating, rational choice theory) as the only legitimate way to form beliefs or make decisions. The rational fundamentalist treats deviations as errors rather than context‑appropriate adaptations, and they often hold that all people, regardless of culture or circumstance, should reason exactly the same way. They treat their model as a sacred text, ignoring critiques from bounded rationality, embodied cognition, or cross‑cultural psychology.
Example: “He insisted that the ‘rational actor’ model explained all human behavior—rational fundamentalism, ignoring decades of evidence that people don’t actually reason that way.”
Rational Fundamentalism
A rigid, literalist adherence to a specific model of rationality (e.g., Bayesian updating, rational choice theory) as the only legitimate way to form beliefs or make decisions. The rational fundamentalist treats deviations as errors rather than context‑appropriate adaptations, and they often hold that all people, regardless of culture or circumstance, should reason exactly the same way. They treat their model as a sacred text, ignoring critiques from bounded rationality, embodied cognition, or cross‑cultural psychology.
Example: “He insisted that the ‘rational actor’ model explained all human behavior—rational fundamentalism, ignoring decades of evidence that people don’t actually reason that way.”
Rational Fanaticism by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026
Rational Supremacism
The belief that rationality—defined narrowly as analytical, calculative, means‑end reasoning—is the supreme human capacity, superior to emotion, intuition, embodiment, or spirituality. The rational supremacist holds that any decision, belief, or action that cannot be justified through rational argument is automatically inferior, and that those who rely on other modes are less developed. This attitude often leads to dismissing entire cultures, art forms, and personal experiences as “irrational” and therefore worthless. It is a form of cognitive hierarchy that mistakes one tool for the master.
Example: “He argued that poetry was useless because it didn’t convey factual information—rational supremacism, measuring all human activity by the narrowest definition of reason.”
Rational Supremacism by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026