Evidence Objectivity Bias

A variation of objectivity bias where something only counts as evidence if the person making the judgment says it's evidence. "That's not evidence because I say so." The bias replaces objective standards of evidence with personal fiat, making the individual the sole arbiter of what counts as proof. Evidence Objectivity Bias is what allows conspiracy theorists to dismiss mountains of data while accepting a single tweet as proof. It's what allows bad-faith arguers to demand evidence, then reject it, then demand different evidence, then reject that—because the real standard is not evidence but agreement. If you agree with me, your evidence counts; if you don't, it doesn't. The bias is the "because I said so" of epistemology, the final refuge of those who have no arguments left.

Example: "She provided study after study showing vaccine safety. He dismissed each one with Evidence Objectivity Bias: 'That's not real evidence.' When she asked what would count, he said 'I'll know it when I see it.' He never saw it. The bias had made him the sole judge of what counts as proof—and his judgment was that nothing that disagreed with him could ever count. Evidence wasn't the issue; control was."

Evidence Objectivity Bias by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026