Proof Biases

Biases related to what counts as proof, how much proof is required, and who gets to demand proof from whom. Proof Biases include: demanding impossible standards of proof from marginalized groups; accepting weak proof from powerful institutions; treating absence of proof as proof of absence; requiring proof for some claims but not others; using "proof" as a gatekeeping concept to dismiss what threatens established views. Proof Biases are about power as much as epistemology—who has to prove, who gets to demand proof, whose proof counts.

Proof Biases "They demanded proof of systemic racism. When shown statistics, they demanded personal stories. When shown stories, they demanded experiments. When experiments aren't possible, they concluded it doesn't exist. That's Proof Bias—moving the goalposts because you don't want to see. Proof isn't neutral when some have to prove and others just get to assert."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Proof Metabiases

Second-order biases about proof—how we understand what counts as proof, how much proof is enough, and who gets to demand it. Proof Metabiases include: assuming that proof is possible in all domains; treating absence of proof as proof of absence; demanding impossible standards from some while accepting weak proof from others; using "proof" as a weapon rather than a standard; believing that proof settles things forever. Proof Metabiases are about the politics and psychology of proof—not just what proves what, but who gets to prove what to whom.

Proof Metabiases "He demands proof for her experience but accepts flimsy evidence for his views. That's Proof Metabias—applying different standards without noticing. Proof isn't neutral when some have to prove and others just get to assert. The metabias is thinking your proof demands are objective when they're actually strategic."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Proof Sophism

A sophisticated rhetorical tactic where one demands proof not to find truth, but to exhaust opponents and avoid engagement. Proof Sophism begins with reasonable requests—"source?" "evidence?"—but then relentlessly moves the goalposts. When a source is provided, it's dismissed as biased, outdated, or insufficient. When stronger evidence appears, the demand shifts to impossible standards: double-blind RCTs for historical claims, video evidence for events before cameras, personal testimony for statistical phenomena. The goal is not evidence but exhaustion—making the opponent chase an ever-receding horizon of proof until they give up. Proof Sophism weaponizes the very idea of proof, using the appearance of rigor to destroy the possibility of dialogue.

"She provided a study. 'That journal is biased,' he said. She found a meta-analysis. 'Too old.' She found a recent review. 'Not specific enough.' She found exactly what he asked for—and he demanded video evidence. Of a historical event. Proof Sophism: proof as infinite regress, evidence as exhaustion. He never wanted to know; he wanted her to quit."

by Dumu The Void March 8, 2026

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

Proompter

A filthy degenerate who glorifies stealing creative work and who thinks they are an artist for pushing a button in an AI generator.

Sam A.: “Look at this beautifull waifu artwork I CREATED”.
Normal person: “You stupid proompter, you did’nt create anything, you just pushed a button in an AI generator full of stolen art”.

by anonymous July 31, 2025