methodological naturalism

The philosophy that natural phenomena should be explained with naturalistic explanations when doing science.

In contrast with metaphysical naturalism, it does not commit one to ruling out the existence of the supernatural.

Science without methodological naturalism would accept astrology as a field of science.

methodological naturalism by spline December 25, 2007

Methodological Alienation

The feeling that the methods used by experts to gain knowledge are so complex and inaccessible that they might as well be magic. It’s the sense of alienation a non-coder feels when looking at a wall of Python script, or a layperson feels when reading a dense statistical analysis. This alienation can foster resentment and a belief that the experts are hiding something behind their complicated jargon, rather than simply using necessary tools.

Example: "Looking at the climate models, I felt a wave of Methodological Alienation. It was all Greek to me, so I just assumed they were making it up."

Methodological Alienation by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026

Methodological Bias

The error of assuming that one particular method of inquiry is superior to all others and that any truth discovered by a different method is inherently suspect. It’s the quantitative researcher who dismisses qualitative interviews as "anecdotal," or the historian who thinks lab experiments have no bearing on understanding the past. This bias mistakes the tool for the truth and ignores the fact that complex problems often require multiple methods.

Example: "The psychologist showed Methodological Bias by refusing to consider case studies, insisting that only double-blind lab experiments could reveal anything about the human mind."

Methodological Bias by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026

Methodological Violence

The enforcement of a single “correct” method across all fields of inquiry, regardless of whether it fits the object of study. Methodological violence occurs when, for example, randomized controlled trials are demanded in fields where they are impossible (e.g., history, ecology at large scales) or when qualitative methods are dismissed as “soft.” It silences entire disciplines and research programs, forcing researchers to either mimic inappropriate methods or be labeled unscientific. The violence is in the rigid standardization that kills epistemic diversity.

Example: “His historical research was rejected because it used archival analysis instead of double‑blind experiments—methodological violence, demanding a method that makes no sense for the question.”

Methodological Violence by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 15, 2026

Methodological Thoreauvianism

A methodological approach that applies Thoreau’s practices of deliberate simplicity, close observation of nature, and critical distance from mainstream society to academic or scientific inquiry. It advocates for “field research as living,” where the researcher immerses themselves in a simplified, attentive mode of being, rejecting the frantic productivity and technological mediation of normal academic life. Methodological Thoreauvianism is used in environmental humanities, slow science, and participatory action research.

Example: “Her dissertation used methodological Thoreauvianism: she lived for a year in a cabin, journaling daily observations of the watershed, instead of using remote sensing data.”

Methodological Thoreauvianism by Dumu The Void April 21, 2026

Theory of Methodological Paradigms

The analysis of how different fields or schools are governed by dominant, often unquestioned, methodologies—the accepted "right way" to conduct research. This paradigm dictates whether you use statistics or case studies, algorithms or ethnography, double-blind trials or philosophical reflection. Your method isn't just a tool; it's your tribal identity and your license to be taken seriously.

Theory of Methodological Paradigms Example: In psychology, the "quantitative/experimental" paradigm and the "qualitative/phenomenological" paradigm have been at war. The former views the latter as "soft storytelling"; the latter views the former as "reducing human experience to numbers." Each is a methodological paradigm with its own journals, heroes, and criteria for what constitutes legitimate knowledge about the mind.

Theory of Methodological Paradigms by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 6, 2026

methological 

An idea that only makes sense while on meth.

My neighbor is the head of the D.E.A see that window? In the corner there is a camera and there are cameras exactly like that one in every window, but he dresses like a chef everyday when he leaves his house.
This is a completly METHOLOGICAL idea.

methological by Dr. tweak September 21, 2009