The specific cognitive distortion where one mistakes the performance of skepticism for the practice of genuine critical inquiry. Critical Thinking
Bias operates when someone believes that merely asking questions, demanding
evidence, or pointing out uncertainty constitutes critical thinking—regardless of whether those questions are good faith, whether the evidence demanded is appropriate, or whether the uncertainty is relevant. It's the
bias that produces the "just asking questions" pseudo-skeptic, the sea
lion who "just wants evidence" for claims they've
already decided are false, the debunker who treats their own cultural assumptions as universal standards of reason. Critical Thinking
Bias turns the tools of rational inquiry into weapons of dismissal, transforming "critical thinking" from a practice of genuine openness into a performance of intellectual superiority.