Evidence-Based Orthodoxy

The established, institutionalized set of beliefs and practices that define mainstream evidence-based approaches—the view that claims should be evaluated by evidence, that certain kinds of evidence (typically quantitative, experimental, peer-reviewed) are privileged, and that evidence-based practice is the gold standard for knowledge in medicine, policy, and beyond. Evidence-based orthodoxy includes core commitments: that randomized controlled trials are the highest form of evidence, that systematic reviews should guide practice, that expert consensus based on evidence should inform policy, and that claims without evidence can be dismissed. Like all orthodoxies, it serves necessary functions: improving practice, reducing error, and providing standards for evaluation. But like all orthodoxies, it can become dogmatic, resisting challenges to its evidentiary hierarchy and marginalizing other ways of knowing. Evidence-based orthodoxy determines what counts as "real" evidence, what methods are legitimate, and who counts as a "true" evidence-based practitioner versus a charlatan or ideologue.

Example: "He suggested that qualitative research and community experience might provide valid evidence alongside RCTs—and was accused of 'abandoning evidence-based practice' by his colleagues. Evidence-based orthodoxy doesn't allow that there might be multiple kinds of evidence; it assumes its own hierarchy is the only legitimate one."

by Abzugal March 16, 2026

Philosophy of Evidence-Based Orthodoxy

A branch of philosophy that examines the nature, justification, and implications of evidence-based orthodoxy—asking philosophical questions about the foundations of evidence-based approaches themselves. The philosophy of evidence-based orthodoxy investigates the epistemological status of evidentiary hierarchies: Are RCTs really always the best evidence? How do we know that systematic reviews are reliable? What counts as evidence for the evidence hierarchy itself? It also examines the values embedded in evidence-based approaches: Whose evidence counts? What kinds of knowledge are excluded? How do evidentiary standards serve institutional interests? The philosophy of evidence-based orthodoxy is essential for evidence-based practice to be self-aware rather than merely assumed, for practitioners to understand the philosophical foundations of their methods rather than treating them as self-evident.

Example: "His philosophy of evidence-based orthodoxy work asked whether the evidence hierarchy can justify itself—or whether it's a matter of faith that RCTs are best, since the claim itself hasn't been tested by RCT. Evidence-based practice may rest on foundations it can't examine with its own tools."

by Abzugal March 16, 2026

Sociology of Evidence-Based Orthodoxy

A branch of sociology that examines how evidence-based orthodoxies are socially constructed, maintained, and challenged within professional communities. The sociology of evidence-based orthodoxy investigates how evidentiary hierarchies become institutionalized through training, how they're maintained through professional standards and funding priorities, how alternative approaches (qualitative research, community knowledge, practitioner experience) are marginalized, and how the orthodoxy responds to challenges from those who question its hierarchy. It also examines the role of evidence-based orthodoxy in professional boundary-work—distinguishing "real" professionals from "quacks," "scientific" practice from "anecdotal" approaches, "legitimate" knowledge from "mere" experience. The sociology of evidence-based orthodoxy reveals that evidentiary hierarchies aren't just about epistemology; they're also about professional power, institutional authority, and the social construction of expertise.

Example: "Her sociology of evidence-based orthodoxy research showed how the hierarchy of evidence serves professional interests—elevating researchers over practitioners, quantitative over qualitative expertise, academic knowledge over community wisdom. The hierarchy isn't just about truth; it's about who gets to say what counts."

by Abzugal March 16, 2026