Proof Bias

The rigid belief that only things that can be "proven" according to a narrow, often undefined, standard are real. It’s the intellectual sibling of Computational Bias, but focuses on the act of proving rather than the act of measuring. It creates a catch-22 where the proof demanded is only achievable within the skeptic's own framework. If you can't prove it to their satisfaction, in their language, it doesn't exist. It’s the ultimate tool for dismissing anything inconvenient.

Example: "Despite years of historical documentation, his Proof Bias made him claim the event never happened because we didn't have a video recording from the 1700s."

by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026

Proof Orthodoxy

The established, institutionalized set of beliefs about proof that dominate science, law, and public discourse—the often-unexamined assumptions about what counts as proof, how proof should be established, what standards are appropriate in different contexts, and how proof relates to certainty. Proof orthodoxy includes commitments: that scientific proof requires replication, that legal proof requires evidence beyond reasonable doubt, that mathematical proof requires deduction from axioms, that proof is objective and universal, that claims without proof can be dismissed, that some domains (religion, ethics) lack proof and therefore lack truth. Like all orthodoxies, it provides standards for establishing claims, but it functions as ideology—making particular conceptions of proof seem like the only conceptions, obscuring how proof standards vary across contexts and cultures, and delegitimizing ways of knowing that don't fit (experiential knowledge, revealed truth, embodied understanding). Proof orthodoxy determines what claims are considered "proven," what arguments are "demonstrated," and who counts as "rigorous" versus "unsupported."

Example: "He demanded proof for her experience of discrimination—as if her testimony couldn't count. Proof orthodoxy had made him believe that only certain kinds of evidence are real evidence."

by Dumu The Void March 17, 2026

Proof of life

A photo, video, or any other type of visual media that serves as proof you are (or are not) doing something after not being active online for a long period of time. Usually sent through text to parents or family; can be sent to friends as well.

Angie: does your mom not care you haven’t told her you’re sleeping over all weekend?

Taylor: I just sent her a proof of life photo this morning when we were eating breaky and she sent a thumbs up

by Kaceydacey June 25, 2025

Proof of Toes

Proof of Toes (PoT Protocol)
noun, internet slang, emerging meme (2025–)

1. A satirical liveness test proposed to distinguish humans from AI, requiring the posting of foot images as verification.

2. A troll-meme founded by Munaf Sheikh (2025) that blends absurdist internet humor with rational commentary on embodiment, identity, and proof-of-humanity in the age of generative AI.

Etymology: Originated in online discussions (2025) as a deliberate troll-meme; now recognized as a cultural joke and speculative commentary on digital identity.

“Text CAPTCHAs don’t work anymore. Time to implement Proof of Toes”
“The only protocol AI can’t fake? PoT Protocol. Show feet.”

by BigBangThought August 18, 2025

drown proof

pissing yourself before you enter the waves. surfing superstition

i am a very superstitios person so everytime that i go surfing i make sure to drown proof myself before entering the waves.

by bandit13 May 22, 2008

Prick Proof

Prick Proof:

Something so simple in either design or concept, that even a useless idiot could use or make sense of it.

A Zippo Lighter is so easy to use, it's Prick Proof!

by Brainbox101 June 27, 2009

posted proof

when a person finds a song, movie, quote, ect. and posts their new find on a social network, proving that they found it before any of their friends can claim it was their idea.

Bob: bro, i really like this new song called Your Love. you should check it out.
Billy: but i heard that song like 3 days ago! i even have posted proof, check my twitter.
Bob: your right, you tweeted the chorus twice...
Billy: haha sucka.

by Jackkal May 29, 2010