Spaceflight Social Sciences

The study of how human societies organize, fund, and react to space exploration, from the Cold War space race (we'll go to the moon because they're going to the moon) to the modern era of private spaceflight (billionaires racing to see who can build the coolest rocket). It examines why nations spend billions on space when problems exist on Earth (prestige, mostly, plus the off chance of finding aliens), how space agencies manage public perception (carefully staged photos, heroic narratives), and what happens to astronaut marriages (usually divorce, space is not kind to relationships).

Spaceflight Social Sciences Example: "A spaceflight social sciences study examined why public interest in space spikes during launches and crashes during the years of preparation in between. The conclusion: humans have short attention spans and space is mostly waiting. The study recommended more explosions, as those get views. NASA declined to comment but did schedule more test flights."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Space Social Sciences

The study of how human societies imagine, fund, and react to the cosmos, from ancient star-worshippers to modern Mars-colony dreamers. It examines why we project our hopes and fears onto the heavens (aliens will save us / aliens will eat us), how space discoveries reshape culture (the Earthrise photo changed everything), and why billionaires are so obsessed with space (it's the ultimate gated community). Space social sciences reveal that the cosmos is a mirror, reflecting not what's out there, but what we bring to it.

Example: "A space social sciences study analyzed why Mars colonization captures the imagination while ocean exploration doesn't. The conclusion: space feels like the future; the ocean feels like the past. Also, Mars doesn't have sharks, which is a significant advantage in the public perception department."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spacetime Social Sciences

The study of how human societies understand, represent, and are shaped by concepts of space and time, from ancient calendars to modern time zones to the weird feeling that time speeds up as you age. It examines why different cultures have different relationships with punctuality (some see time as a line, others as a circle, others as a suggestion), how space and time structure social life (work here, live there, do it now, not later), and what happens when our technologies collapse spacetime (instant global communication means you can be harassed by your boss from anywhere, at any time—thanks, progress).

Example: "A spacetime social sciences study examined why meetings always run long. The conclusion: humans have a poor intuitive grasp of time, compounded by optimism (we can do five things in an hour), social pressure (no one wants to be the first to leave), and the fact that the person who scheduled the meeting didn't account for the spacetime curvature caused by their own ego, which bends time around them so they always have 'just one more thing.'"

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spectralism (Social Sciences)

A methodological approach to studying society that prioritizes the analysis of absences, margins, and silenced voices. It posits that a society is defined as much by what it forgets, excludes, or renders invisible as by its dominant narratives and institutions. A spectral sociologist studies the "hauntings" of history—like the lingering trauma of colonialism in modern economic structures, or the unspoken grief that shapes a community's identity. It’s about reading the footnotes of history as closely as the main text, because that's where the ghosts live.

Spectralism (Social Sciences) Example:
"That gentrification study was classic Spectralism. It didn't just map the new coffee shops; it mapped the displaced communities, the closed businesses, and the erased cultural memory. The new neighborhood is literally haunted by the ghost of the old one."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Spectrumism (Social Sciences)

An analytical lens that deconstructs social categories—such as race, class, gender, and sexuality—by revealing them to be socially constructed spectrums rather than natural binaries. It examines how societies create and enforce sharp boundaries (like the one-drop rule) to manage what is inherently a continuum of human variation and identity. A Spectrumist analysis of poverty wouldn't just look at the "poor" and "rich," but at the entire gradient of economic insecurity, from the precariously housed to the ultra-wealthy.

Spectrumism (Social Sciences) Example:
"The census form only had 'Male' and 'Female' boxes. That's the opposite of Spectrumism. A Spectrumist approach would be a slider from 0 to 100, or even better, a color wheel of identity."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Fractalism (Social Sciences)

An approach that analyzes social phenomena as self-similar patterns that repeat across different levels of social organization. The dynamics of a couple fighting are the same as the dynamics of two rival gangs, which are the same as two feuding nations. An act of microaggression in a classroom is the fractal signature of systemic racism at a national level. Social change, then, requires intervening at all scales simultaneously, as a change in the macro-pattern will eventually ripple down to the micro-level, and vice-versa.

Fractalism (Social Sciences) "That viral video of someone being rude in a store isn't just one bad day. Fractalism says it's the same pattern as the company's exploitative labor practices, just zoomed in. Rudeness is the fractal structure of the corporation's values, visible at the human scale."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Critical Social Sciences

The application of critical theory to the study of society: examining how power, ideology, and social structures shape human life, and how knowledge about society can serve emancipatory interests. Critical Social Sciences don't just describe society—they critique it, revealing oppression, exposing ideology, and working toward transformation. Sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics, when done critically, become tools for understanding and changing unjust structures, not just documenting them.

"Your study describes inequality, but Critical Social Sciences ask: why does it exist? Who benefits? How could it be different? Description without critique is just photography of a car crash—interesting but useless to the victims."

by Abzugal February 23, 2026