A panoptic regime centered on the ideal of “rationality” as defined by a specific community (often online rationalist or skeptic groups). The rational panopticon constantly monitors for emotional reasoning, cognitive biases, and any deviation from the group’s norms of dispassionate analysis. Members are expected to publicly disclose their own biases, to preemptively self‑critique, and to accept the judgment of the community on what counts as rational. The discipline is social exclusion: those deemed insufficiently rational are mocked, blocked, or expelled. The result is a performative rationality that hides its own dogmas behind the mask of pure reason.
Example: “He expressed frustration with the group’s conclusion, and was immediately told he was being ‘irrational’—the rational panopticon had no room for emotion, even when justified.”
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 6, 2026
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