Objectivity Contextualism

The application of contextualism to objectivity—the view that objectivity is context-dependent, that what counts as objective varies with the standards of the context. Objectivity Contextualism argues that there is no single standard of objectivity that applies everywhere; instead, objectivity is achieved by meeting the standards of one's context. A courtroom has different objectivity standards than a laboratory; a newsroom has different standards than a classroom. This doesn't make objectivity meaningless; it makes it contextual. Objectivity Contextualism is the philosophy of situated objectivity, of the recognition that objectivity is always objectivity-for-some-purpose, objectivity-under-some-conditions.

Example: "She'd thought objectivity was the same everywhere—the view from nowhere. Objectivity Contextualism showed her otherwise: what counted as objective in science didn't work in law; what worked in journalism didn't work in history. Objectivity wasn't one thing; it was many, each appropriate to its context. She stopped looking for the one true objectivity and started learning the standards of each context."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Imposter Objectivity Bias

The cognitive trap where someone believes they are being perfectly objective precisely because they are aware of their own flaws and limitations. It's the inverse of regular bias: instead of thinking "I'm right because I'm rational," the Imposter Objectivist thinks "I'm right because I know I might be wrong, therefore my constant self-doubt makes me more objective than you." This creates a smug meta-bias where humility becomes a shield against criticism. They wave their acknowledged limitations like a magic wand, as if admitting you could be biased means you automatically aren't.

"I'm not biased, I constantly question my own assumptions!" he said, while refusing to consider a single opposing viewpoint. That's Imposter Objectivity Bias—using the performance of self-doubt to avoid actual self-examination.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Confirmation Objectivity Bias

The sneaky belief that your conclusions are objectively true because you arrived at them through what feels like rigorous logic, when in reality you simply curated evidence that supported what you already wanted to believe. It's objectivity-flavored confirmation bias. You don't just seek confirming evidence—you convince yourself that the confirming evidence represents the true, unbiased reality, while dismissing disconfirming evidence as tainted by other people's bias. The more intelligent you are, the better you get at building elaborate rationalizations for why your preferred outcome is actually the "objective" one.

"I've objectively reviewed both candidates and determined mine is clearly superior," she announced, having only watched videos that confirmed her pre-existing views. Confirmation Objectivity Bias: when your conclusion was never in doubt but your ego demands the appearance of fairness.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Absolute Objectivity Bias

The delusional belief that pure, perspective-free, God's-eye-view objectivity is not only possible but something you personally have achieved. It's the epistemological equivalent of claiming you can levitate. The Absolutist doesn't just think they're right—they think they've transcended the very condition of having a perspective. Their opinions aren't opinions; they're just reality reporting itself through them. This bias is most common in people who have never seriously studied philosophy, neuroscience, or any field that might humble their certainty about certainty.

"I don't have opinions, I just have facts," said the man whose "facts" aligned perfectly with his political tribe's talking points. Absolute Objectivity Bias: mistaking your worldview for the world.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Relative Objectivity Bias

The comfortable middle-ground fallacy that truth is simply whatever emerges from averaging all available perspectives. It's objectivity via committee. The Relativist assumes that if you gather enough different viewpoints and split the difference, you'll naturally arrive at something approximating truth. This ignores that some perspectives are more informed than others, some are actively malicious, and the average of many wrongs rarely makes a right. It's the bias of people who think both sides in every debate are equally valid and the truth must live peacefully somewhere in the no-man's-land between them.

"One scientist says climate change is an existential crisis, one random guy on Facebook says it's a hoax—the objective truth is probably somewhere in the middle!" Congratulations, you've discovered Relative Objectivity Bias: mistaking intellectual cowardice for wisdom.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Dunning-Kruger Objectivity Bias

A meta-bias where people with the least expertise in a subject are the most confident that their perspective is the unbiased, objective one. Because they don't know enough to understand what they don't know, they mistake their own ignorance for a clean, uncontaminated vantage point. Experts, weighed down by complexity and nuance, seem "biased" to them precisely because experts acknowledge uncertainty and competing interpretations. The Dunning-Kruger Objectivist believes their empty cup is actually the clearest lens.

"I'm not a historian, so I can look at this war objectively without all that academic bias," tweeted a guy who learned about the conflict from a viral meme. Dunning-Kruger Objectivity Bias: when ignorance cosplays as clarity.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Specialized Objectivity Bias

The tendency to believe that deep expertise in one narrow field grants you objective authority on topics far outside that field. The physicist who speaks with unwarranted confidence about economics. The surgeon who thinks their medical training makes them an authority on education policy. The programmer who believes logical thinking in code transfers directly to understanding human relationships. Specialization creates genuine insight in a tiny domain, but the bias lies in assuming that insight generalizes—that the habits of mind that work in your corner of reality somehow make you immune to bias everywhere else.

"As a tenured professor of chemistry, let me explain why this public health policy is obviously wrong," he began, unaware that his Specialized Objectivity Bias was about to embarrass him in front of epidemiologists.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026