Social Sciences of Engineering

The empirical study of engineering as a social activity—how engineers work, how design happens, how values shape technology, how engineering communities function. Social Sciences of Engineering examines engineering education, professional norms, design practices, and the social impacts of engineering decisions. It reveals that engineering isn't just technical problem-solving—it's social practice with social consequences.

"Engineering is just applied science, they say. Social sciences of engineering asks: then why do engineers rely so much on tacit knowledge? Why do designs reflect cultural values? Why do some technologies fail socially even when they work technically? Engineering is human, and social science shows how."

by Dumu The Void March 2, 2026

Social Sciences of Technology

The empirical study of technology as a social phenomenon—how technologies are developed, adopted, resisted, and transformed by social forces. Social Sciences of Technology includes science and technology studies (STS), history of technology, sociology of technology, and technology studies. It examines how technologies shape society and how society shapes technologies, revealing that technology is never just tools—it's politics, culture, and power made material.

"You think technology is neutral. Social sciences of technology asks: then why do different societies develop different technologies? Why do technologies have different impacts in different contexts? Why do some technologies fail and others succeed for non-technical reasons? Technology is social, and social science shows how."

by Dumu The Void March 2, 2026

Social Sciences of Progress

The empirical study of progress as a social phenomenon—how societies understand, measure, and pursue progress. Social Sciences of Progress examines how progress narratives shape policy, how progress is distributed, who benefits from claims of progress, and how progress is contested. It reveals that progress isn't just a fact—it's a story societies tell themselves, with real consequences for who gets what.

"We're making progress, they say. Social sciences of progress asks: progress for whom? Measured how? Compared to what? Who's left out of the story? Progress isn't just a fact; it's a narrative, and social science shows who writes it and who's written out."

by Dumu The Void March 2, 2026

Social Sciences of History

The empirical study of how history is produced, contested, and consumed as a social activity. Social Sciences of History includes historiography, sociology of historical knowledge, and memory studies. It examines how historical narratives are constructed, how they serve present interests, how they're taught and remembered, how they shape identity. It reveals that history isn't just the past—it's what we say about the past, and that saying is always social.

"History is what happened. Social sciences of history asks: says who? Based on what sources? Told by whom? For what audience? History is always told from somewhere, and social science shows the somewhere that textbooks hide. Not to deny the past, but to understand how we know it."

by Dumu The Void March 2, 2026

Outer Sciences

The plural of Outer Science—encompassing multiple disciplines studying phenomena beyond current scientific reach. Outer Sciences include paraphysics, outer physics, multiverse cosmology, and speculative fields that push against the boundaries of knowledge. Each outer science approaches the beyond from a different angle: physics asks about other universes; biology asks about other life; psychology asks about other minds. Together, they form a meta-discipline: the sciences of what lies beyond science.

"Outer Sciences isn't one field; it's many. Outer physics, outer biology, outer psychology—each asks what lies beyond current knowledge in its domain. Not abandoning science, but extending it to the edges—and beyond. The Outer Sciences are what we do when we've reached the limits and want to see further."

by Dumu The Void March 5, 2026

Nonlinear Sciences

The plural form, recognizing that there are multiple approaches, multiple methods, multiple frameworks for studying nonlinear phenomena. Nonlinear Sciences includes chaos theory, complexity science, network theory, systems theory, and more. Each offers different tools for different aspects of nonlinear reality. The plural matters because nonlinear phenomena are diverse—what works for ecosystems may not work for economies; what explains turbulence may not explain social change. Nonlinear Sciences is the recognition that complexity requires pluralism, that one size does not fit all, that the tools must match the territory.

Example: "He thought one theory would explain all complexity. Nonlinear Sciences showed him otherwise: different phenomena needed different tools. Chaos theory for weather, network theory for social systems, complexity theory for ecosystems. The plural mattered: no single science could capture all nonlinearity. He stopped looking for one theory and started collecting many."

by Dumu The Void March 7, 2026

Critical Sciences

The plural form, recognizing that multiple scientific disciplines each require their own critical approaches—that physics has different power dynamics than biology, which has different ones than sociology. Critical Sciences is the collective enterprise of examining science from within, discipline by discipline, asking field-specific questions about assumptions, methods, and social relations. It's the recognition that critique must be tailored to context, that what works for one science may not work for another. Critical Sciences is the ongoing project of making science more self-aware, more accountable, more reflexive.

Example: "The Critical Sciences network brought together scholars from every discipline, each applying critical tools to their own field. Physicists examined funding patterns; biologists questioned research priorities; sociologists analyzed institutional power. Together, they were making science examine itself."

by Abzugal March 9, 2026