Exotic Sciences

The study of phenomena that are so far outside normal experience that they might as well be magic, but with more equations. This includes the search for extraterrestrial life (where is everybody?), the investigation of UFOs (they're probably just drones, but what if?), and the analysis of "anomalous" events that happen once, are never replicated, and generate decades of conferences. Exotic sciences occupy the border between rigorous inquiry and wishful thinking, attracting brilliant minds and people who really want to believe their backyard security camera caught a ghost.

Example: "His career in exotic sciences began when he saw a light in the sky that definitely wasn't a plane, drone, satellite, weather balloon, bird, or known atmospheric phenomenon. It was therefore, by definition, unidentified. He has now spent 30 years at conferences with other people who also saw lights."

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

Esoteric Social Sciences

The study of how groups of people united by hidden or secret knowledge organize themselves, establish hierarchies, and develop their own bizarre social norms. It examines why Freemasons love aprons, why occult orders have such complicated initiation rituals (mostly to see who really wants it), and why every secret society eventually develops the same internal politics as a community college student council. Esoteric social sciences reveal that no matter how transcendent your hidden wisdom, you will still have arguments about who gets to be in charge of the newsletter.

Example: "A study in esoteric social sciences observed that in a group of 50 people claiming to channel ascended masters, 47 of them believed their master outranked everyone else's master. The remaining three were masters themselves and refused to participate in the study, citing 'higher priorities.'"

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

Esoteric Sciences

The study of knowledge that is deliberately kept hidden, either because it's too powerful for the masses, too complicated for the masses, or because the people who possess it just really enjoy feeling superior to the masses. Esoteric sciences include alchemy (chemistry with pretensions), astrology (astronomy with a victim complex), and the advanced art of reading tarot cards for people who really should have seen their breakup coming anyway. The primary methodology is "revealing ancient wisdom" that was usually invented in the 19th century by someone who really liked candles.

Example: "He claimed his PhD in esoteric sciences allowed him to read the akashic records. When asked what the records said about his ex-girlfriend, he said they were 'sealed,' which was convenient because he hadn't actually checked and was pretty sure she was still mad at him."

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

N-Dimensional Social Sciences

The study of how societies might organize themselves if they existed in higher-dimensional spaces, where proximity, communication, and social hierarchy would work very differently. In a 4D society, you could be neighbors with someone who is also three miles away in 3D space. In a 5D society, social networks might form along axes we can't perceive, leading to alliances based on... we have no idea. N-dimensional social sciences are purely speculative, which makes them popular among science fiction writers and completely useless to actual sociologists.

*Example: "A paper in N-dimensional social sciences hypothesized that in a 4D society, class structure would be based on access to the fourth axis, with the 'hyper-rich' living in neighborhoods the 3D poor couldn't even perceive. The reviewers called it 'imaginative but unfalsifiable,' which is academic for 'cool story bro.'"*

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

N-Dimensional Sciences

The mathematical study of spaces with more than the three spatial dimensions we're stuck with, where "N" can be any number and "comprehensible" is not. It's the field that lets physicists describe the universe using 11 dimensions and then shrug when asked what they look like. N-dimensional sciences are great for string theory and terrible for interior design, as you can never find a couch that fits in a 5-dimensional living room. The main challenge is that our 3D brains keep trying to visualize things that are fundamentally un-visualizable, resulting in headaches and beautiful abstract art.

N-Dimensional Sciences*Example: "He was brilliant at N-dimensional sciences, able to manipulate equations in 26-dimensional space without breaking a sweat. He could not, however, visualize a 4-dimensional cube, which he described as 'like a cube, but more... you know... 4-ish.' His students did not know."*

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

Consciousness Social Sciences

The study of how groups of conscious beings collectively shape each other's inner experiences through culture, language, and the simple act of being together. It examines why laughter is contagious, why crowds develop a shared mood, and why being alone in a room full of people feels different from actually being alone. It's the field that asks: if consciousness is private, how do we manage to synchronize it so effectively at concerts, protests, and awkward family dinners? The answer seems to be something like "vibes," which is not a scientific term but is apparently accurate.

Example: "A consciousness social sciences study observed that when one person in a meeting yawned, the entire room would follow within 90 seconds. This unconscious synchronization suggested that despite their individual private awarenesses, the group was operating as a single, slightly bored, collective consciousness. The researchers then yawned and went to lunch."

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

Consciousness Sciences

The interdisciplinary field that attempts to study the one thing you can't put under a microscope: the subjective experience of being alive. It's the science of why red looks red, why music gives you chills, and why there's "something it's like" to be you. Consciousness sciences bring together neuroscientists who look at brain scans, philosophers who ask "yes, but why?", and mystics who just smile enigmatically. After decades of research, the field has conclusively proven that consciousness exists and that nobody has the faintest idea how.

Example: "He spent his career in consciousness sciences trying to locate the seat of self-awareness in the brain. He found lots of correlated neural activity but no actual 'self.' His final paper concluded that he, as a researcher, might also be an illusion, which made writing the paper complicated."

by Nammugal February 14, 2026