A form of Reality Bias where one invokes "reality" as a trump card, treating their position as simply how things are and any alternative as literally out of touch with reality. The fallacy lies in claiming direct access to the real while others are trapped in illusion, ideology, or wishful thinking—without demonstrating why one's own access is privileged. "You're not living in the real world" becomes a way of dismissing views one dislikes without engaging them. This fallacy allows the speaker to position themselves as the realist, the pragmatist, the one who sees things as they really are—while everyone else is merely dreaming.
Example: "He dismissed her policy proposals as 'not living in the real world'—never explaining why his preferred policies were any more realistic. Argumentum Ad Realitatem: using 'reality' as a cudgel rather than a standard."
by Dumu The Void March 16, 2026
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