science project

A complicated experiment-gone-awry "solution".

Several hours later, Jeff realized that his "5-minute solution" was quickly turning into a science project that would take several days of effort and lots of external resources (and that still might not solve the original problem).

by Jeff-fu June 10, 2024

Passion Project Playshop

Passion Project (noun): A project pursued out of deep personal interest and excitement, typically outside professional duties. These projects are heartfelt endeavors, driven by personal passion, focusing on fulfillment over tangible rewards.

Playshop (noun): A playful twist on traditional workshops, designed to foster joy and creativity in an engaging, experimental environment. It prioritizes enjoyable and expressive learning experiences, encouraging participants to explore and innovate freely.

Passion Project Playshop (noun): A dynamic, interactive playshop that immerses participants in their passion projects. This environment supports personal or collaborative projects, blending creativity, experimentation, and play. The aim is to transform work into play, enhancing the process's enjoyment as much as the outcomes. Participants share music, photos, and stories to maintain a playful, joyous atmosphere, increasing commitment and interest in their projects.

Example: Working with a Possibility Advocate, the IBIC team participated in their first Passion Project Playshop; they flushed out all their ideas and created a plan for execution. The experience was not only productive but also a lot of fun.

by Possibility Advocate June 24, 2024

Goat Project

A term of Libyan origin used to describe endeavors or plans that are predicted to fail or have significant negative consequences. The phrase stems from the popular notion in Libya that goat farming or rearing is often economically unprofitable, making it a metaphor for futile or ill-advised ventures.

Person A: "I'm planning on investing in scam-sounding cryptocurrency. Wanna get in on this with me?"
Person B: "Oh hell no, man, that's a goat project."

by salafi_Arab January 24, 2025

Scientific Projection

A cognitive bias where one projects the methods, assumptions, and standards of science onto domains where they may not apply—assuming that scientific approaches are universally appropriate and that any phenomenon that doesn't yield to scientific investigation is therefore unreal or illegitimate. Scientific projection operates when someone insists that questions of meaning, value, or consciousness must be answerable by the same methods that work for physics; when they assume that what can't be measured doesn't exist; when they treat scientific standards as the only valid standards for any kind of inquiry. The projection lies in assuming that one's own toolkit is everyone's toolkit—that science isn't one way of knowing among many but the only way of knowing anything at all. Scientific projection closes off whole domains of human experience from serious consideration, dismissing them as "unscientific" rather than recognizing that they might require different approaches.

Example: "He insisted that love couldn't be real because you can't measure it in a lab—scientific projection, assuming that what doesn't yield to his methods doesn't exist at all."

by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026

Epistemological Projection

A cognitive bias where one projects one's own epistemological framework—one's standards for what counts as knowledge, evidence, and justification—onto others, assuming that everyone operates by the same epistemic rules. Epistemological projection operates when someone dismisses another culture's knowledge claims because they don't meet Western scientific standards; when they assume that anyone rational would accept their evidence; when they treat disagreement as evidence of irrationality rather than different epistemic frameworks. The projection lies in mistaking one's own way of knowing for the only way of knowing—assuming that what counts as knowledge for you must count for everyone, and that those who don't share your epistemic standards are simply deficient rather than different. Epistemological projection is a form of cognitive colonialism, imposing one's own epistemic framework on others while remaining blind to its specificity.

Example: "He dismissed indigenous knowledge as 'mere anecdote' because it didn't meet his standards for evidence—epistemological projection, assuming his way of knowing was the only way."

by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026

Logical Projection

A cognitive bias where one projects one's own logical framework onto others—assuming that everyone reasons by the same rules, that what seems logical to one must seem logical to all, and that disagreement can only indicate failure of logic rather than different logical frameworks. Logical projection operates when someone says "that doesn't follow" without considering that their interlocutor might be using different inference rules; when they dismiss non-Western reasoning as "illogical" rather than differently logical; when they cannot recognize that logic itself varies across cultures and contexts. The projection lies in mistaking one's own logic for Logic itself—assuming that the rules one learned are the rules of thought, not just one set among many. It closes off understanding of alternative reasoning systems, treating difference as deficiency.

Example: "He couldn't understand Buddhist logic that tolerated paradox—he just called it irrational. Logical projection: assuming his logic was the only logic."

by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026

Rational Projection

A cognitive bias where one projects one's own standards of rationality onto others—assuming that everyone should reason the same way, value the same things, reach the same conclusions from the same evidence, and that those who don't are simply irrational. Rational projection operates when someone says "any rational person would agree" about matters where reasonable people differ; when they dismiss alternative values as irrational rather than differently valued; when they cannot recognize that rationality itself is culturally and historically variable. The projection lies in mistaking one's own rationality for Rationality itself—assuming that the way one thinks is simply the way thinking should be done. It's a form of cognitive imperialism, imposing one's own standards while remaining blind to their specificity.

Example: "He insisted that any rational person would support his policy preferences—rational projection, assuming his values were universal reason rather than particular commitments."

by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026