Leftist Evolutionary Psychology

A leftist approach to evolutionary psychology—questioning conservative assumptions about human nature while taking evolution seriously. Leftist Evolutionary Psychology asks: What if cooperation, sharing, and egalitarianism are as evolved as competition? What if human nature includes immense plasticity, shaped by social environments? What if evolutionary stories that naturalize hierarchy are ideology, not science? Leftist Evolutionary Psychology doesn't deny evolution; it insists that evolutionary explanations must be scrutinized for their political content and that human nature is both real and variable.

"They say men are naturally aggressive, women naturally nurturing—therefore patriarchy is natural. Leftist Evolutionary Psychology asks: what's the evidence? How much cultural variation? Could the same data support different stories? Evolution happened, but the stories we tell about it reflect our politics. Leftist evolutionary psychology tells different stories—about cooperation, about plasticity, about possibility."

Leftist Evolutionary Psychology by Dumu The Void March 3, 2026

Critical Theory of Pseudoscience

The application of Critical Theory to the concept of pseudoscience—examining how the boundary between science and pseudoscience is drawn, who draws it, and what interests it serves. Critical Theory of Pseudoscience asks: Who gets to decide what's pseudoscience? How has the label been used to dismiss legitimate knowledge (especially from marginalized groups)? What power relations shape the demarcation problem? It doesn't defend actual pseudoscience but insists that the boundary is never neutral—it's political. Understanding pseudoscience requires understanding the politics of labeling.

"They call it pseudoscience and move on. Critical Theory of Pseudoscience asks: says who? By what criteria? Who benefits from drawing the line here? The label has been used to dismiss indigenous knowledge, traditional medicine, women's ways of knowing. Critical theory doesn't defend fraud; it asks who gets to decide what counts as fraud—and what interests that serves."

Critical Theory of Pseudoscience by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026

Critical Theory of Psychology

The application of Critical Theory to psychology—examining how psychological concepts, practices, and institutions are shaped by power, how they can serve social control rather than liberation, and how they might be transformed. Critical Theory of Psychology asks: How does psychology define "normal" and "pathological," and who benefits from those definitions? How has psychology been used to pathologize resistance, marginalize difference, and enforce conformity? Whose interests are served by focusing on individual adjustment rather than social change? Drawing on thinkers like Foucault, Rose, and critical psychologists, it insists that psychology is never neutral—it's a site of power, a tool of governance, and a potential resource for freedom.

"They diagnose your political anger as mental illness. Critical Theory of Psychology asks: what if the anger is rational? What if the problem isn't you, but the system? Psychology that pathologizes dissent serves power, not healing. Critical psychology insists on asking: who benefits from calling this sick? And what would psychology look like if it supported liberation instead of adjustment?"

Critical Theory of Psychology by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026

Critical Theory of Psychiatry

The application of Critical Theory to psychiatry—examining how psychiatric knowledge, diagnosis, and treatment are shaped by power, how they can serve social control, and how they might be reformed or transformed. Critical Theory of Psychiatry asks: How are psychiatric categories constructed, and whose interests do they serve? How has psychiatry been used to confine, drug, and control marginalized populations? What role does the pharmaceutical industry play in shaping diagnosis and treatment? Drawing on anti-psychiatry, mad studies, and Foucault, it insists that psychiatry is never just medicine—it's a site of power, a tool of normalization, and a potential source of harm as well as help.

"They diagnose you with a disorder because you don't fit their norms. Critical Theory of Psychiatry asks: whose norms? Who decides what's disordered? Psychiatry has a history of pathologizing homosexuality, political dissent, and cultural difference. Critical psychiatry insists on asking: is this diagnosis helping you, or controlling you? And who benefits from the categories we use?"

Critical Theory of Psychiatry by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026

Theory of the Pseudoscience Spectrum

The theory that pseudoscience exists on a spectrum, not as a binary category of "science" vs. "pseudoscience." The Pseudoscience Spectrum recognizes that fields, claims, and practices can be more or less scientific, in different dimensions, to different degrees. Astrology is high on the pseudoscience spectrum; parapsychology is lower; some fringe physics might be lower still. The spectrum allows for distinguishing between different kinds and degrees of pseudoscience, for recognizing that the boundary between science and pseudoscience is fuzzy, and for evaluating claims on their merits rather than their labels.

Theory of the Pseudoscience Spectrum Example: "He wanted a simple list of pseudosciences to dismiss. The Theory of the Pseudoscience Spectrum showed him it wasn't that simple: some fields were clearly pseudoscientific (astrology), some were borderline (parapsychology), some were just young (string theory?). The spectrum let him evaluate, not just label."

Theory of the Pseudoscience Spectrum by Dumu The Void March 7, 2026

Theory of the Pseudophilosophy Spectrum

The theory that pseudophilosophy exists on a spectrum, not as a binary category. Pseudophilosophy includes claims that mimic philosophical language and form without philosophical substance—arguments that sound profound but are empty, systems that look rigorous but are arbitrary. The Pseudophilosophy Spectrum recognizes that some pseudophilosophy is blatant (Ayn Rand dismissed by academics), some is subtle (Heidegger's critics call his work pseudoprofundity), and some is contested (is postmodernism philosophy or pseudophilosophy?). The spectrum allows for nuanced evaluation rather than blanket dismissal.

Theory of the Pseudophilosophy Spectrum Example: "He dismissed all continental philosophy as pseudophilosophy. The Theory of the Pseudophilosophy Spectrum showed why that was crude: some was clearly substantive, some was clearly empty, most was somewhere in between. The spectrum let him evaluate specific works rather than whole traditions."

Theory of the Pseudophilosophy Spectrum by Dumu The Void March 7, 2026

Theory of the Pseudotechnology Spectrum

The theory that pseudotechnology exists on a spectrum, not as a binary category. Pseudotechnology includes devices, systems, and claims that mimic technological form without technological substance—gadgets that don't work, systems that can't deliver, innovations that exist only in marketing. The Pseudotechnology Spectrum recognizes that some pseudotechnology is blatant (perpetual motion machines), some is subtle (vaporware that almost works), and some is contested (cold fusion—pseudoscience or suppressed breakthrough?). The spectrum allows for evaluating technological claims on their merits rather than their labels.

Theory of the Pseudotechnology Spectrum Example: "The Kickstarter promised revolutionary energy technology. The Theory of the Pseudotechnology Spectrum helped evaluate it: it scored high on pseudotechnology axes—no working prototype, no peer review, no plausible mechanism—but backers ignored the spectrum. The money was lost; the lesson wasn't learned."

Theory of the Pseudotechnology Spectrum by Dumu The Void March 7, 2026