Pejorative terms used within and against scientific discourse to shut down inquiry, attack researchers' motives, or caricature positions without engagement. They are rhetorical weapons that replace argument with dismissal. On one side, terms like "pseudoscientist," "crank," or "denier" can be applied too broadly to shut down heterodox but legitimate questioning. On the other, terms like "lab-coat priest," "scientism," or "so-called expert" are used to delegitimize scientific consensus itself by framing it as a dogmatic religion.
Example: In a debate on GMOs, a scientist is called a "Monsanto shill," instantly dismissing their data as corrupt. Conversely, a philosopher questioning the limits of reductionism is labeled a "woo-peddler" or "anti-science." Terms like "climate alarmist" or "evolutionist" are crafted to frame scientific consensus as ideological. These slurs pollute the epistemic commons, turning discussions into tribal warfare where identity, not evidence, determines belief. Science Slurs.
by Dumuabzu January 25, 2026
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