Evidence-Based Moralism

A form of moralism where "evidence-based" becomes not a commitment to grounding claims in data but a weapon for dismissing views one dislikes and a badge of personal virtue. The evidence-based moralist treats their own positions as simply "what the evidence shows" and opponents' views as not just wrong but morally suspect—irrational, anti-science, dangerous. Evidence becomes a cudgel rather than a tool, a way of ending conversations rather than advancing them. The moralism lies in using the prestige of "evidence" to launder personal judgments, treating empirical support for one's views as proof of one's virtue, and dismissing those who interpret evidence differently as morally deficient rather than just differently persuaded.

Example: "He didn't argue—he just kept saying his position was 'evidence-based' and hers wasn't, as if that settled everything. Evidence-Based Moralism: using the word 'evidence' to avoid having to provide any."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 14, 2026

Evidence-Based Puritanism

A purity culture within communities that elevate "evidence-based" as the supreme standard of legitimacy, where proper relationship to evidence becomes a test of virtue and belonging. Evidence-based puritanism demands that true members base all claims on approved kinds of evidence (usually quantitative, experimental, published in high-impact journals), treat other forms of knowledge as illegitimate, and maintain the purity of evidentiary standards against contamination by alternative ways of knowing. Members compete to demonstrate their evidentiary rigor, their commitment to "what the evidence shows," their willingness to dismiss anything that doesn't meet their standards. The result is a community that claims to value evidence while being dogmatically closed to the full range of human knowledge, treating "evidence-based" as a club rather than a commitment.

Example: "She cited decades of community experience, and they dismissed it as 'anecdotal'—Evidence-Based Puritanism, where only their kind of evidence counts, and anyone who doesn't have it is simply ignored."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 14, 2026