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

Placebist Bias

A cognitive bias where one automatically attributes any positive outcome from alternative, complementary, or unconventional treatments to the placebo effect, without considering other mechanisms or evidence. Placebist Bias is the default assumption that if it's not conventional medicine, it must be placebo—regardless of research, mechanism, or patient experience. The bias protects materialist orthodoxy by explaining away anomalies rather than investigating them. It's the mirror image of credulity: instead of believing everything, it disbelieves everything that doesn't fit the framework.

"She tried acupuncture for chronic pain and got relief. Placebist Bias says: placebo, obviously. Never mind the studies showing physiological effects; never mind the patient's experience. The bias assumes placebo because the alternative is uncomfortable. Placebist Bias isn't skepticism; it's dogma in disguise. It explains away rather than explains."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026

Denial Bias

A cognitive bias where one systematically denies, rejects, or dismisses information that contradicts existing beliefs, regardless of evidence. While confirmation bias seeks confirming information, Denial Bias actively refuses contradictory information—not just ignoring it, but fighting it, explaining it away, or attacking its source. It's the bias of the closed mind, the immune system of belief rejecting foreign evidence. Denial Bias explains why facts don't change minds: the mind isn't processing facts; it's denying them.

"He didn't just ignore the evidence; he attacked it, questioned its sources, invented conspiracies to explain it away. That's Denial Bias—not just failing to seek confirming information, but actively rejecting anything that threatens what he already believes. Facts don't work on denial; denial works on facts."

by Dumu The Void March 4, 2026

Contestation Bias

A bias where one automatically contests, challenges, or disputes any information that doesn't align with preexisting views. Contestation Bias doesn't just ignore opposing evidence; it actively fights it, demanding impossible standards, shifting goalposts, and finding reasons to reject. It's the bias of perpetual opposition—the mind that says "no" before hearing the question.

"Every study she cited, he contested. Methodology, sample size, funding source—always a reason to reject. Contestation Bias isn't skepticism; it's automatic opposition. Not "show me evidence," but "your evidence is never enough." The contest is the point; truth is secondary."

by Dumu The Void March 4, 2026

Objection Bias

A reflexive tendency to object to any claim that conflicts with one's existing beliefs. Objection Bias operates at the level of instinct: before evaluation, before consideration, the mind says "no." It's the cognitive equivalent of a knee-jerk reaction—objection first, reasoning later (if ever). The bias protects existing beliefs by making objection the default response to challenge.

"She hadn't even finished her sentence before he objected. Didn't matter what she said; if it challenged him, the answer was no. Objection Bias: the mind that says no before it knows what it's saying no to. Not reasoning, just reflex."

by Dumu The Void March 4, 2026