The reflexive, group-enforced mindset where the primary goal in any discussion is to "debunk" or expose flaws in opposing claims, while exempting one's own side from similar scrutiny. The group's identity is built on a sense of superior skepticism, but this skepticism is applied only outwardly. This creates a culture of gotchas and nitpicking that stifles genuine inquiry and protects the group's own assumptions from examination.
Example: In a subreddit dedicated to debunking pseudoscience, any mention of a poorly-understood medical phenomenon (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome) is met with immediate Debunkothinking. The group rushes to label it "psychosomatic" or "malingering," citing old, flawed studies, while dismissing newer biomedical research as "fringe." Their shared mission to debunk has hardened into an orthodoxy that itself ignores evidence.
by Dumuabzu February 5, 2026
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