Erosion Bias

A cognitive bias derived from the Scientific Slippery Slope, framing the acceptance of any non‑scientific claim as a gradual erosion of rational capacity. The metaphor is geological: small, seemingly harmless inroads of “irrationality” wear away the bedrock of critical thinking until the whole structure collapses. Erosion Bias ignores that critical thinking is not a uniform layer that can be evenly worn down; people can be skeptical in one domain and traditional in another without losing overall reasoning ability. It is often used to argue against any form of religious or spiritual education in secular settings.

Example: “The school board argued that teaching mindfulness meditation would cause erosion bias, gradually wearing away students’ ability to distinguish science from superstition—despite evidence that meditation does no such thing.”

by Dumu The Void March 25, 2026