Epistemology Biases

Biases in how we study knowledge itself—the assumptions and preferences that shape epistemological inquiry. Epistemology Biases include: privileging Western epistemology over others; focusing on propositional knowledge over procedural, tacit, or experiential knowledge; assuming knowledge is individual rather than social; treating justification as more important than understanding; ignoring the role of power in knowledge production. Epistemology Biases shape what questions get asked, what answers count, and who gets to be an epistemologist.

Epistemology Biases "Your epistemology class only studied Descartes, Hume, and Kant. That's Epistemology Bias—assuming Western philosophy is epistemology, not one epistemology among many. Indigenous epistemologies? Ignored. Feminist epistemology? Optional. Eastern epistemology? Comparative philosophy. Epistemology bias makes the discipline smaller than the phenomenon it studies."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Epistemological Biases

Systematic distortions in how we know, arising from our location, identity, and commitments. Epistemological Biases include: confirmation bias (seeking confirming evidence); availability bias (using what's easily recalled); anchoring bias (over-relying on first information); cultural bias (assuming our categories are universal); identity bias (knowing in ways that protect identity). Unlike logical biases (about logic itself), epistemological biases are about the process of knowing—the psychological and social factors that shape what we believe and how we justify it.

Epistemological Biases "He only reads news that confirms his views. That's Epistemological Bias—confirmation bias in action. We all have it; the question is whether we know we have it. Epistemological biases aren't failures; they're human. But pretending you don't have them is how they control you."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Epistemology Metabiases

Second-order biases about epistemology itself—systematic distortions in how we study knowledge. Epistemology Metabiases include: assuming Western epistemology is epistemology, not one tradition; treating knowledge as individual rather than social; focusing on propositional knowledge while ignoring procedural, tacit, experiential; believing that epistemological questions are timeless rather than historical; ignoring the role of power in knowledge production. Epistemology Metabiases shape what questions get asked, what counts as an answer, and who gets to be an epistemologist.

Epistemology Metabiases "Your epistemology class only studied Descartes to Kant. That's Epistemology Metabias—treating Western philosophy as the whole story. Epistemology means study of knowledge, not study of European theories of knowledge. The metabias is thinking your tradition is the tradition, not one tradition among many."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Epistemological Metabiases

Second-order biases in how we think about knowing—meta-level distortions in our understanding of knowledge itself. Epistemological Metabiases include: believing that more reflection always improves knowledge; treating self-awareness as a cure for bias; assuming epistemological sophistication makes you less biased; using epistemology to police rather than to understand; ignoring that epistemologies are themselves situated. Epistemological Metabiases are the biases of the epistemologist—the ways thinking about knowledge can itself be distorted.

Epistemological Metabiases "I've studied epistemology, so I know how to avoid bias!" That's Epistemological Metabias—confusing knowledge about knowledge with freedom from knowing's limits. Studying bias doesn't eliminate it; it just gives you new ways to be biased about bias. The metabias is thinking epistemology makes you special."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Epsteinophile

A person identified in the Jeffrey Epstein Emails that may, or may not, be a sexual predator, but was definitely in his sphere of interest.

These Epsteinophiles surely had their fingers in a lot of influential pies of our society.

by abacus360 March 3, 2026

Epsteinphile

A person identified in the Jeffrey Epstein Emails that may, or may not, be a sexual predator, but was definitely in his sphere of interest.

These Epsteinphiles surely had their fingers in a lot of influential pies of our society.

by abacus360 March 3, 2026

Epstein

Donald Trump's best pal

"Hey did you see that Trump was on the Epstein Files?"
"Did you know that Trump's name is mentioned more in the Epstein Files more than God's name is mentioned in the Bible?"

by Littlesoiltiles March 3, 2026