General and Special Ecology

A conceptual split, borrowing language from relativity, to categorize ecological thinking. General Ecology deals with the universal laws and principles that apply to all systems—the "theory of everything" for interconnectedness, like thermodynamics or network theory. Special Ecology deals with the specific, unique rules governing particular types of systems—like the ecology of a coral reef versus the ecology of a desert versus the ecology of an online community. General Ecology gives you the grammar; Special Ecology gives you the vocabulary for a specific place. You need both to speak the language of the planet fluently.

General and Special Ecology "General Ecology says every system needs an energy source. Special Ecology says the energy source for this coral reef is the sun, filtered through symbiotic algae, and if the water warms by two degrees, the whole thing dies. General gives you the big picture; Special keeps you from killing the thing you're studying."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

General Objectivity Bias

The assumption that objectivity is a single, unified thing—a muscle you can strengthen and then apply uniformly across all domains. The General Objectivist thinks that being objective about, say, sports statistics means they're automatically objective about politics, relationships, or their own motivations. They treat objectivity as a character trait rather than a painful, domain-specific discipline that requires constant relearning. This bias lets them feel like Objective People™ without doing the actual work of questioning themselves in areas where it might hurt.

"I'm an objective person—I call balls and strikes in my fantasy football league," he said, moments before explaining why his childhood trauma definitely has nothing to do with his current relationship problems. General Objectivity Bias: mistaking one skill for all skills.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026