Science Biases

Systematic distortions that arise from the way science is practiced, institutionalized, and understood. Science Biases include: publication bias (positive results get published, negative results don't); funding bias (research gets funded when it serves interests); confirmation bias in study design; bias toward what's measurable over what's meaningful; bias toward Western, educated, industrial, rich, democratic (WEIRD) populations; bias against null results, replication studies, or challenging paradigms. Science Biases don't mean science is wrong—they mean science is human, and humans have biases that shape what gets studied and what gets found.

Science Biases "Why do we know so much about drug effects and so little about nutrition? That's Science Bias—funding goes where profit is. Why do psychology studies use undergrads? That's Science Bias—convenience shapes knowledge. Science biases aren't conspiracies; they're structural. Recognizing them doesn't invalidate science—it makes science better."

Science Biases by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026