Reality Bias

The arrogant epistemological stance that one's own perception or model of the world is an unmediated, objective grasp of "reality," and that anyone who disagrees is either stupid, insane, or evil. It denies the interpretive, constructed, and theory-laden nature of all human understanding. In arguments, it manifests as the definitive declaration, "That's just the way it is," shutting down dialogue about differing experiences or interpretations.

Example: A wealthy CEO states, "If you're poor, it's because you didn't work hard. That's reality." This Reality Bias frames a specific, ideologically loaded belief about meritocracy as an incontrovertible law of nature, dismissing systemic barriers, luck, and inequality as irrelevant fantasies.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

NPOV Bias

The specific skew introduced by Wikipedia's Neutral Point of View policy when applied rigidly or naively. This bias manifests as false balance (giving equal weight to fringe and mainstream views, e.g., climate science vs. denialism), neutering of moral judgment (describing atrocities in the passive voice of "alleged" or "reported" events), and centrism bias (framing the midpoint between two partisan positions as inherently "neutral," even if one position is evidence-based and the other is not). NPOV can become a bias for the bland, the established, and the non-committal.

Example: A Wikipedia article on a tobacco company describes its history of marketing to children as "actions which have been criticized by public health advocates," while also noting the company's "contributions to economic growth." This NPOV Bias uses balanced language to obscure a moral reality, laundering reprehensible acts through the rhetoric of neutrality.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

NPOV Cognitive Bias

The mental error committed by Wikipedia editors who believe that by stripping language of overt emotion and attributing all claims, they have achieved personal objectivity. It is the cognitive bias of believing you have no bias because you are following the NPOV rulebook. This blinds editors to their own ideological assumptions about what constitutes a "reliable source" or a "significant" viewpoint worthy of inclusion.

Example: An editor meticulously ensures every statement about socialism is attributed to a critic or a proponent, believing this makes the article neutral. However, their NPOV Cognitive Bias prevents them from seeing that their selection of which critiques and which defenses to include is itself driven by their own liberal-capitalist worldview, shaping the narrative within a frame they mistake for a blank slate.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Law Bias / Legal Bias

The assumption that formal, written law is the primary or only effective tool for creating order, justice, and social change. This bias underestimates the power of social norms, economic incentives, education, or cultural transformation. It can lead to legalism—the proliferation of complex statutes that are poorly enforced—and a neglect of the informal systems that actually govern daily life for many people.

Law Bias / Legal Bias Example: To address discrimination, a purely Law Bias approach would focus solely on passing new anti-discrimination statutes and hiring more compliance officers. It might ignore the deeper work of changing corporate culture, implicit bias training, or building diverse mentorship pipelines, which operate in the realm of norms, not statutes.

by Nammugal February 5, 2026

Government Bias

A subset of state bias, specifically favoring governmental action and authority as the most legitimate and effective force in society. It manifests as trust in official statements, preference for public-sector solutions over private or communal ones, and the conviction that governance is best left to professional politicians and bureaucrats. In its extreme, it dismisses anarchy or libertarianism as naive, simply because they reduce the government's role.

Example: After a corporate data breach, those with a strong Government Bias will call exclusively for new federal regulations and a dedicated cybersecurity agency. They may dismiss the potential for user-owned data cooperatives, open-source encryption tools, or industry-led (though risky) certification standards as insufficient or illegitimate.

by Nammugal February 5, 2026

State Bias

The tendency to believe that solutions to social problems must come from, or be channeled through, the formal institutions of the state (government, legislation, public agencies). This bias underestimates the capacity of civil society, mutual aid, local communities, or market innovations (for good or ill), and can lead to centralization and dependency. It's the instinct to say "there ought to be a law" for every issue.

Example: Facing a rise in homelessness, a public conversation dominated by State Bias focuses solely on federal housing policy and municipal shelter funding, while ignoring or marginalizing effective grassroots initiatives like community land trusts or religious shelter networks that operate with different models.

by Nammugal February 5, 2026

Nation Bias

The emotional and cognitive privileging of one's nation (the imagined cultural community) over other groups. It's a form of in-group favoritism that assumes the interests, values, and people of your nation are more important, correct, or worthy than those of others. This bias fuels nationalism, jingoism, and the belief that national loyalty trumps universal ethical principles or global solidarity.

*Example: A news outlet covers a natural disaster, spending 20 minutes on the plight of 10 national citizens affected abroad, and 2 minutes on a foreign disaster that killed 10,000. This Nation Bias frames suffering through the lens of national identity, implying the lives of co-nationals are inherently more newsworthy and grievable.*

by Nammugal February 5, 2026