Critical Theory of Scientific Evidence

The application of Critical Theory to what counts as evidence in science—examining how evidentiary standards are established, who benefits, and what forms of evidence are marginalized. Critical Theory of Scientific Evidence asks: Why is quantitative evidence privileged over qualitative? Why are some forms of testimony dismissed? Who decides what counts as good evidence? How have evidentiary standards been used to exclude marginalized knowers? It doesn't reject evidence but insists that evidentiary standards are never neutral—they're shaped by power, history, and context.

"That's just anecdotal, not real evidence. Critical Theory of Scientific Evidence asks: anecdotal by whose standards? Experience is evidence too—it's just not the kind that fits in spreadsheets. Evidentiary hierarchies reflect power: who gets to define evidence, and whose knowledge gets excluded. Critical theory insists on evidence that includes, not just evidence that measures."

Critical Theory of Scientific Evidence by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026