Debunkpost

The specific, often unreasonably high, standard of evidence or argument that someone demands specifically to debunk a claim they favor. It's the moving target for falsification. "You can't debunk my theory unless you meet this impossible standard."

Example: A flat-earther states, "You can only debunk my model by physically taking me to the edge of the disc and showing me the ice wall. Satellite photos are CGI." They've set a debunkpost—a deliberately unmeetable criterion for falsification that protects the belief from all conventional evidence.

Debunkpost by Dumu The Void February 9, 2026

Moving the Debunkpost

The act of shifting the required standard for debunking after a debunking attempt has met the previous standard. It ensures the core belief remains perpetually "not yet debunked."

Moving the Debunkpost Example:
"Debunk my psychic claim by showing a flaw in this experiment."
You flaw the experiment.
"That was just one protocol. Debunk it by explaining all psychic phenomena throughout history."
They've moved the debunkpost, changing the requirement from a specific test to an impossible historical proof.

Moving the Debunkpost by Dumu The Void February 9, 2026

drunkposting 

The act of engaging in online conversation on forums with other people while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Ben came home late from the party and was still wasted, he logged onto his computer and picked some fights on the forums. Ben was so juiced he was drunkposting.

Jill didn't really want to sleep with you, she was just drunkposting

drunkposting by joelpball123 October 12, 2009

Debunkothinking

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.

Debunkothinking by Dumuabzu February 5, 2026

Debunkist Fallacy

A logical fallacy where someone assumes that because a claim has been debunked (or could be debunked), it is therefore false and unworthy of further consideration. The fallacy lies in treating debunking as definitive and complete, ignoring that debunking itself can be flawed, incomplete, or ideological. A claim might be debunked poorly; debunking might miss nuance; what counts as debunking depends on frameworks. The Debunkist Fallacy treats debunking as the end of inquiry rather than part of it, as verdict rather than contribution.

"I tried to discuss the limitations of a study. Response: 'That's been debunked already—move on.' That's Debunkist Fallacy—treating debunking as final, not as contribution. Maybe the debunking was flawed; maybe new evidence emerged; maybe the debunking missed the point. 'Debunked' isn't a conversation-ender unless you've decided inquiry is over. And when inquiry is over, so is learning."

Debunkist Fallacy by Dumu The Void February 28, 2026

Debunkist Sophism

The use of debunking as ideology rather than method—debunking not to find truth but to dismiss anything that threatens one's worldview. Debunkist Sophism treats "debunked" as a magic word that ends inquiry, regardless of the quality of debunking or the evidence remaining. It's sophistry in skeptic's clothing: using the appearance of critical thinking to avoid actual thought.

"They said it was debunked—but when you looked, the debunking was flawed, incomplete, ideological. Debunkist Sophism: using debunking as a cudgel, not a tool. The label did the work that evidence should have done. Debunking became dogma, not inquiry."

Debunkist Sophism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 7, 2026

Debunkist Puritanism

A purity culture within debunking communities where the standards for what counts as "proper debunking" become so strict that they function as tests of virtue rather than tools for correction. Debunkist puritanism demands perfect adherence to approved methods, approved sources, approved conclusions—any deviation, any nuance, any acknowledgment of complexity becomes evidence of impurity, grounds for exclusion. The community polices its boundaries relentlessly, condemning those who aren't skeptical enough, who entertain unproven possibilities, who question the orthodoxy. Debunking ceases to be about helping people believe true things and becomes about maintaining the purity of the in-group, distinguishing the truly enlightened from the contaminated masses. The irony is that puritanism reproduces exactly the dogmatic mindset that debunking claims to oppose—just with different content.

Example: "The skeptical forum banned her for suggesting that maybe some alternative medicine had limited value—not because she was wrong, but because she'd violated their purity standards. Debunkist Puritanism: skepticism as orthodoxy, not inquiry."

Debunkist Puritanism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 14, 2026