Evidence Biases

Systematic distortions in what counts as evidence, how evidence is gathered, and how evidence is weighed. Evidence Biases include: privileging quantitative over qualitative evidence; treating anecdotal evidence as worthless even when it's all that's available; demanding evidence from those who lack power while accepting it from those who have it; ignoring evidence that doesn't fit the frame; collecting evidence only where it's easy or funded. Evidence Biases shape not just what we know but what we can know—what counts as a fact and what gets dismissed as mere anecdote.

Evidence Biases "She shared her experience of discrimination. Response: 'That's just anecdotal—where's the real evidence?' That's Evidence Bias—treating personal testimony as worthless while demanding quantitative studies that don't exist. Experience is evidence; it's just not the kind you're used to. Evidence biases make us miss what's in front of us because it doesn't fit our evidence categories."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

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

Fact Biases

Biases in how facts are established, communicated, and trusted. Fact Biases include: treating some domains as factual and others as mere opinion; assuming facts are simple when they're complex; privileging facts that fit narratives; ignoring facts that challenge identity; treating "fact" as a conversation-ender rather than a contribution. Fact Biases are what happen when facts become weapons—used to end discussion rather than enable it.

Fact Biases "It's a fact, so discussion over!" That's Fact Bias—treating facts as endpoints rather than contributions. Facts matter, but they don't settle meaning; they don't determine values; they don't end inquiry. Fact bias is what happens when facts become idols instead of tools. Facts inform; they don't replace thinking."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

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

Philosophy Biases

Biases within philosophical practice—the assumptions, preferences, and exclusions that shape what philosophy is and who gets to do it. Philosophy Biases include: canon bias (studying the same dead white men); method bias (privileging analytic over continental, or vice versa); language bias (philosophy happens in English, German, French—not in indigenous languages); gatekeeping bias (who gets called a philosopher); progress bias (assuming philosophy progresses like science). Philosophy Biases make philosophy smaller than it could be—a conversation among some rather than a discipline for all.

Philosophy Biases "Your philosophy degree covered zero non-Western thinkers. That's Philosophy Bias—assuming Western philosophy is philosophy, not one tradition among many. Philosophy means 'love of wisdom,' not 'love of European wisdom.' Bias makes the discipline a club instead of a conversation."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Philosophical Biases

Systematic distortions in how we do philosophy—the assumptions we bring to philosophical questions that shape what answers seem plausible. Philosophical Biases include: realism bias (assuming our concepts map reality); rationalism bias (trusting reason over experience); individualism bias (focusing on individual knowers); presentism bias (judging past philosophers by current standards); technical bias (valuing technical sophistication over wisdom). Philosophical biases are the invisible lenses through which we see philosophical problems—and they determine what we see and what we miss.

Philosophical Biases "He dismissed ancient philosophy as 'primitive.' That's Philosophical Bias—presentism, judging the past by the present. The Greeks weren't primitive; they were asking different questions with different tools. Philosophical bias makes us miss the wisdom in other times and places because we're too busy ranking them by our standards. Philosophy without bias would be conversation across time, not judgment of it."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026