Factuality

A theory, claim, or statement assumed to be true due to popular agreement. Said claim can be either backed up by facts or "reliable" anecdotes.

This is a portmanteau of "fact" and "reality".

Even though we all know 2 + 2 = 5, the class decided, that in factuality, it equals 4. They are such Sheep.

"God exists" is a factuality.

String theory is not a factuality, because not enough people take it for granted.

by Sudo-Nimb December 26, 2009

Factuality Bias

The rigid and often disingenuous demand that arguments, especially in social or political realms, must be supported only by quantifiable, hard "facts," while excluding moral reasoning, ethical principles, visionary ideals, or appeals to justice as "subjective" and therefore irrelevant. This bias artificially narrows discourse to only what can be measured, silencing debates about values, rights, and the kind of world we ought to build.

Example: In a debate about poverty reduction, one side argues from a moral imperative for human dignity. The other retorts, "Show me the facts and economic models that prove dignity increases GDP, or your argument is just feelings." This Factuality Bias attempts to reduce a moral imperative to a spreadsheet calculation, dismissing ethics as irrational.

by Dumu The Void February 4, 2026

Factuality Bias

The bias where one assumes that their facts are simply factual—not selected, not interpreted, not framed, but just facts. Factuality Bias ignores that facts are always chosen (these facts matter, those don't), always framed (this context, not that), always presented from a perspective (here, not there). The bias treats facts as self-evident, self-explanatory, self-sufficient—when in reality, facts are always interpreted, always situated, always partial. Factuality Bias is what makes people say "just look at the facts" as if facts didn't need looking at, as if they spoke for themselves.

Example: "She presented her facts as if they were simply 'the facts.' Factuality Bias meant she never had to explain why these facts, why now, why in this order. They were just facts—self-evident, self-sufficient. When he pointed out that other facts existed, that the same facts could be interpreted differently, she dismissed him as 'denying facts.' She wasn't wrong; she was just incomplete."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Gender Factuality Paradox

The Gender Factuality Paradox is that unsolved mystery encapsulated in the question, "If a man says something and the nearest woman is 120 miles away and listening to the Bee Gees, is he still wrong?"

The Gender Factuality Paradox is set to have Gender Studies MA students scuppered this year.

by Fearman April 1, 2008

Objective Factuality Bias

The bias where one assumes that their facts are not just factual but objectively factual—true from any perspective, in any context, for any observer. Objective Factuality Bias is factuality bias combined with objectivity bias: the belief that one's facts are not just selected and framed but are simply the way things are. It's the bias of those who think their news source is "just the news," their data is "just the data," their evidence is "just the evidence"—while everyone else's is biased. Objective Factuality Bias is the favorite bias of pundits, of propagandists, of everyone who has ever presented a partisan view as simple reality.

Example: "His news source was 'objective'; everyone else's was 'biased.' Objective Factuality Bias meant he never had to question his own sources, his own framing, his own selections. His facts were just facts; others' facts were propaganda. The double standard was invisible to him, which is how it maintained his certainty."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Fallacy of Arbitrary Factuality

The error of declaring certain claims to be facts and others to be false based on nothing but personal preference or tribal allegiance, ignoring evidence, expertise, and consistency. This fallacy is how someone can believe that vaccines are dangerous despite overwhelming scientific consensus, or that an election was stolen despite dozens of court cases and audits. Facts become a la carte: you pick what's true based on what feels good, what your team believes, or what serves your interests. The fallacy of arbitrary factuality is the death of shared reality, because if facts are just whatever you want them to be, then we're not having a conversation—we're just yelling at each other from different dimensions.

Example: "She committed the fallacy of arbitrary factuality in the group chat, declaring that a viral TikTok was 'facts' while dismissing a peer-reviewed study as 'just someone's opinion.' When asked why, she said the study 'felt wrong' and the TikTok 'felt right.' Facts, for her, were feelings, and reality was whatever she felt like believing."

by Dumu The Void February 15, 2026

Law of Spectral Factuality

The principle that factuality exists on a spectrum between absolute and relative, with infinite gradations and multiple dimensions. Under this law, a statement isn't simply factual or not factual—it's factual to some degree, in some frameworks, under some interpretations, for some purposes. The law of spectral factuality recognizes that factuality is not binary but continuous, that claims can be more or less supported, more or less independent of perspective, more or less universal in their validity. This law is essential for understanding debates where both sides claim facts—they're often occupying different positions on the factuality spectrum, not disagreeing about the same facts.

Law of Spectral Factuality Example: "He analyzed the climate debate using spectral factuality, mapping claims across dimensions: empirical support (high for mainstream science, low for denial), framework dependence (some claims hold across frameworks, others don't), interpretive flexibility (data can be read multiple ways). The spectral coordinates explained why both sides felt factual—they were, just in different senses. The map didn't resolve the debate, but it showed why it was so persistent."

by Abzugal February 16, 2026