Anthropology of Science

The study of scientific communities using the tools and perspectives of cultural anthropology. It treats scientists not as pure reasoners but as members of a distinct culture with its own rituals, taboos, initiation rites, kinship systems, and oral traditions. The anthropologist of science might study how lab meetings function as tribal councils, how citation practices serve as gift exchange systems, how conference presentations operate as prestige competitions, and how "revolutionary" discoveries are actually negotiated through complex social processes. It reveals that the white coat is a cultural costume, the lab is a ritual space, and peer review is a sophisticated form of tribal gatekeeping. This approach doesn't deny that science produces truth—it just shows that truth-production is always also culture-production.

Example: "Her anthropology of science dissertation examined how theoretical physicists use hand gestures and whiteboard drawings as a form of ritual communication—a tribal language unintelligible to outsiders but sacred to initiates."

by Abzugal March 11, 2026

Liberal Arts and Science Academy

A public magnet high school in Austin, Texas. Commonly abbreviated to "LASA" or "LASA HS" although the latter doesn't really make sense since "Academy High School" is redundant. Used to share a building with LBJ but moved to the former Eastside/Johnston campus to relieve overcrowding.

Historically the school is one of the best academically, consistently ranked top 50 in the US. Prospective students must submit an entrance application to demonstrate their prowess. The school boasts high test scores and near perfect rates of graduation and acceptance to colleges. However, there is concern that admin is letting in too many retards after the move to the new building and that the school will become less "elite".

The atmosphere is quite sleepy and studious for the most part; no fights or bomb threats unlike every other school in Austin ISD. However, depression is commonplace and sleep deprivation is a flex. It's rare to go a day without hearing "kill myself" multiple times.

There is a high percentage of zesty people and other degenerates. The classes are filled with Asians and Indians who carry everyone else. Luckily, the Blacks at this school are chill (all 4 of them). Ironically it is one of the most diverse high schools in the district since many of them are 80%+ Mexican.

But despite being a respectably sized 5A school and having such a prestigious (so far) reputation, no one outside of AISD actually knows about it. It is unknown why LASA is so mysterious in the public eye.

LASA Kid #1: "Yo how do you use the Banach-Alaoglu Theorem for the function that satisfies the Riesz Representation Theorem over the Compact Hausdorff Space for question #1?"
LASA Kid #2: "Skibidi Balls"
LASA Kid #1: "Aww, thank you so much for the help pookie bear! Pull up to my house tonight; let's finish our homework and have gay sex!!!"
LASA Kid #2: "Sorry, but I have 29 different extracurricular activities to attend. I need to be constantly busy, depressed, and sleep deprived so I can sell my soul to Harvard."
LASA Kid #1: "Awesome! I'm gonna kill myself at exactly 8:42 PM tonight by ingesting 750 milligrams of potassium cyanide, chemical formula KCN."
LASA Kid #2: "What a totally average and normal conversation here at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy."

Vikramaditya Kusika Dattachaudhuri: "I go to the Liberal Arts and Science Academy."
Jack Smith (Westlake student): "Never heard of it, where's that?"
Vikramaditya: "In Austin ISD"
Jack: "Is it a private school?"
Vikramaditya: "Erm... acktually☝️🤓, LASA's a public school. It's also the best one in the Austin area, according to USNEWS and Niche."

Kevin Ling: "I go the Liberal Arts and Science Academy"
TreVontarious D'arquise Quantell VII (LBJ student): "I'll beat yo ass nerd"

by LuckFasa October 3, 2024

The Great Masters of Pubic Science

The company of The Great Masters of Pubic Science were founded by the two top managers, Freda Mason & Georgia Sofokleous. They're main work is to do anything that has stuff to do with pubescity and ask people about how hairy their "garden" is in their "magic kingdom" and also give awards to guys with the sexiest titties (who is now fired for a very important reason) and girls with the most penis-looking vaginas. Thanks to The Great Masters of Pubic Science, there are now special shampoos and conditioners specially made to keep your pubic hair healthy, damage-free and nice smelling, so your partner doesn't complain about your pubic hair smelling like your breath (in other words, like SHIT!). You can find our shampoos and conditioners anywhere in drugstores where they sell cocaine, roofies and flavored condoms. We hope you enjoy using our pubic cleaning products. Oh, and if you have the hairiest "garden" or the biggest guy nipples contact us. I'm not telling you how, just find a way. : Thank you.

Yesterday: I'VE JUST BEEN AWARDED THE KING OF SEXY TITTIES BY THE GREAT MASTERS OF PUBIC SCIENCE! :D
Today: Wtf?! I just got fired coz I showed my sexy titties to one of the managers and not the rest of the horny company. D:

by TheGreatMasterofPubicScience May 2, 2011

for those who don't speak fluent science

a figure of speech or to simplify something confusing in science

"anyways for those who don't speak fluent science what i'm saying is they originally used snail snot(mucus) to make the color purple"

by Bacon Milk April 1, 2022

for those who don't speak fluent science

to simplify something confusing for yall who don't pay attention in science (seriously pay attention!!)

the teacher looked at the class and said "anyways for those who don't speak fluent science they originally used snail snot/slime to make the color purple"

by Bacon Milk April 7, 2022

Hard Problem of the Social Sciences

The prediction problem. Unlike in physics, where you can isolate variables and predict an eclipse to the second, social sciences (economics, political science, sociology) deal with complex, reflexive systems. Humans react to predictions, changing the outcome (the "Lucas Critique"). The hard problem is: Can you have a real science of human society if its core subjects alter their behavior upon hearing your findings? True scientific laws are supposed to be invariant. Social "laws" are more like trends that expire once people know about them, making the field perpetually one step behind a moving target.

Example: An economist develops a perfect model predicting stock market crashes. Once published, investors see it and adjust their behavior to avoid the predicted conditions, thereby preventing the very crash the model forecasted. The model is now wrong. The hard problem: The act of studying the system changes it. This makes falsification—the bedrock of science—incredibly tricky. Social science thus often ends up explaining the past very well (postdiction) but failing at predicting the future, which is what we usually want from a science. Hard Problem of the Social Sciences.

by Nammugal January 24, 2026