Evidence Biases

Systematic distortions in what counts as evidence, how evidence is gathered, and how evidence is weighed. Evidence Biases include: privileging quantitative over qualitative evidence; treating anecdotal evidence as worthless even when it's all that's available; demanding evidence from those who lack power while accepting it from those who have it; ignoring evidence that doesn't fit the frame; collecting evidence only where it's easy or funded. Evidence Biases shape not just what we know but what we can know—what counts as a fact and what gets dismissed as mere anecdote.

Evidence Biases "She shared her experience of discrimination. Response: 'That's just anecdotal—where's the real evidence?' That's Evidence Bias—treating personal testimony as worthless while demanding quantitative studies that don't exist. Experience is evidence; it's just not the kind you're used to. Evidence biases make us miss what's in front of us because it doesn't fit our evidence categories."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Evidence Metabiases

Second-order biases about evidence—systematic distortions in how we define, value, and interpret evidence. Evidence Metabiases include: treating some forms of evidence (quantitative) as real and others (qualitative, experiential) as anecdotal; assuming more evidence always means better understanding; believing that evidence speaks for itself; ignoring that evidence is always interpreted; using "evidence-based" as a magic phrase that ends discussion. Evidence Metabiases shape what counts as evidence in the first place—and who gets to decide.

Evidence Metabiases "She says her experience isn't evidence because it's 'just anecdotal.' That's Evidence Metabias—having a definition of evidence that excludes most human knowing. Experience is evidence; it's just not the kind that fits in spreadsheets. The metabias is thinking your evidence hierarchy is natural, not constructed."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Evadian

A term for people who play the Roblox game Evade, similar to Slender, or Emo, they normally have headless, oreo color scheme, korblox, or free avatars with the stupid golden antlers. they are chronically online, and are always on tiktok talking about sum joke about say gex,

"Yo bro, wanna play Evade?"
"Hell no, you better not be an EVADIAN...."

by XxTheHangKirkerxX March 2, 2026

Evidence Sophism

A specific form of Proof Sophism focused on demanding evidence in ways designed to be impossible to satisfy. Evidence Sophism treats "evidence" as a magic word that ends inquiry rather than enabling it. The sophist demands evidence that cannot exist (video of prehistoric events), dismisses valid evidence with arbitrary criteria (anecdotes don't count, even when that's all there is), and shifts standards whenever evidence appears. It's sophistry dressed as empiricism: using the language of evidence to avoid the work of evaluating it.

"She shared her experience of discrimination. 'Evidence?' he demanded, meaning video, documents, witnesses. When she provided testimony, he said 'anecdotal.' When she cited statistics, he said 'correlation isn't causation.' Evidence Sophism: using evidence as a weapon, not a tool. No amount would ever be enough because enough wasn't the point."

by Dumu The Void March 8, 2026

Evidence Picking

A broader and more blatant form of cherry-picking where you selectively choose which pieces of evidence to present, creating a false narrative. It’s the borderer form between simply omitting data and actively fabricating it. You present your "evidence" as a complete picture, but it's actually a carefully curated collection of facts that support your case, with all contradictory facts left on the cutting room floor. It’s the hallmark of a biased documentary or a misleading advertisement.

Example: "The documentary was just evidence picking; they interviewed only happy customers and completely ignored the thousands with complaints."

by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026

Evidence Bias

The unfair weighting or dismissal of evidence based on its source or form, rather than its content. It’s the habit of automatically accepting a statistic from a known source while reflexively dismissing an eyewitness account as "just a story." This bias pre-filters reality, allowing some pieces of information in while barring others at the gate, regardless of their actual merit. It’s the intellectual equivalent of judging a book by its cover and refusing to open it.

Example: "He wouldn't believe my first-hand account of the protest, but immediately trusted a police report that contradicted it. That's Evidence Bias in action."

by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026

Evidence-Based Biases

The collection of biases that arise from the misapplication of "evidence-based" thinking—treating evidence as a magic word rather than a practice, demanding evidence asymmetrically, mistaking certain kinds of evidence (usually quantitative) as inherently superior, ignoring the values and assumptions embedded in what counts as "evidence," and using "evidence-based" to dismiss any claim that doesn't fit narrow evidentiary standards. These biases don't reject evidence—they fetishize it, turning a valuable tool into a weapon of dismissal and a shield against genuine engagement with complexity, uncertainty, and other ways of knowing.

Example: "His Evidence-Based Biases meant he demanded randomized controlled trials for community wisdom that had worked for centuries—not because he valued evidence, but because he valued only his kind of evidence."

by Dumu The Void March 13, 2026