Naturalist Defaultism

The bias that naturalism—the view that nothing exists outside nature, and that supernatural or non‑empirical claims are illegitimate—is the default epistemic position. Naturalist defaultism treats any appeal to the supernatural, spiritual, or transcendent as automatically irrational or unscientific, requiring no rebuttal. It often masquerades as methodological naturalism (a necessary tool for science) but slides into metaphysical naturalism (a claim about what exists). The defaultism lies in never justifying naturalism itself; it is simply assumed as the starting point for any rational discussion.

Example: “He said ‘science has shown that there’s nothing beyond the physical’—naturalist defaultism, confusing the limits of scientific method with proof of metaphysical naturalism.”

Naturalist Defaultism by Abzugal April 18, 2026