Theory of Scientific Privilege

The systematic elaboration of scientific privilege as a framework for understanding the politics of knowledge. The Theory of Scientific Privilege argues that science is not a neutral pursuit of truth but a field of power—that certain scientific methods, institutions, and knowledge systems are privileged, others marginalized, and that this privilege reflects social hierarchies, not epistemic superiority. It traces how Western science became dominant, how it was used to justify exploitation and exclusion, how other knowledge systems were suppressed. It doesn't reject science; it calls for examining its privilege and opening space for other ways of knowing. The Theory of Scientific Privilege is the foundation of epistemic decolonization.

Example: "She'd believed science was simply the best way to know things—objective, universal, true. The Theory of Scientific Privilege showed her otherwise: science had a politics, a history, a relationship to power. Western science was privileged because of empire, not because it was better. She started learning from other knowledge systems, other ways of knowing, other truths."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Theory of Privileged Scientific Position

The systematic elaboration of privileged scientific position as a framework for understanding the politics of knowledge production. The Theory of Privileged Scientific Position argues that scientific authority is not distributed equally—that certain research programs, institutions, and traditions are privileged by their association with dominant power structures. It traces how this privilege operates, how it shapes research agendas, how it excludes alternative knowledge systems. It doesn't claim that privileged science is always wrong; it claims that its privilege should be examined, not assumed. The theory is the foundation of epistemic justice, of the recognition that a fair evaluation of knowledge requires examining not just evidence but the conditions under which it's produced.

Example: "She'd thought science was a meritocracy—best ideas win. The Theory of Privileged Scientific Position showed her otherwise: some ideas started ahead, some started behind. Funding, publication, prestige—all shaped by privilege. She stopped assuming her field's consensus was right because it was consensus and started asking whose interests it served."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026