Science Blind Spot

The selective reverence for the authority of science while ignoring its process and limitations, especially when they're inconvenient. This manifests as treating settled science as an infallible dogma not to be questioned (blind scientism) or, conversely, dismissing robust scientific consensus in one area (like climate science) while uncritically accepting it in another (like aeronautics). It's using "science" as a stamp of approval or a cudgel, not as a method for inquiry.

Example: "He had a major science blind spot. He'd quote nutrition studies to justify his juice cleanse with religious fervor, but dismiss decades of climatology as 'just models' because accepting it would mean questioning his libertarian worldview. Science was his priest when it preached what he liked, and a liar when it didn't."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Self-Serving Science

The deliberate interpretation, selection, or even manipulation of scientific information to support a pre-determined personal, political, or financial goal. This ranges from cherry-picking studies that favor your product to funding research designed to produce friendly results. It's not just bias; it's the active enlistment of the scientific veneer as a mercenary in your personal campaign, dressing up self-interest in a lab coat.

*Example: "The CEO's presentation was a masterpiece of self-serving science. He highlighted the one internal study showing a potential benefit of their supplement, presented it with glossy graphs, and buried the ten independent studies showing no effect in an appendix written in 8-point font. The science wasn't a search for truth; it was a PR asset."*

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Elitization of Science

The process by which the practice and interpretation of science become gatekept by a specialized, often socially insulated, priestly class. This creates a barrier between the scientific enterprise and the public, where expertise is used to dismiss public concerns and maintain authority, fostering alienation and distrust.

Example: "The elitization of science was on display when officials dismissed community worries about a new chemical plant with, 'You wouldn't understand the models.' Instead of engaging, they retreated behind jargon and credentials, treating public input as an annoyance rather than a democratic necessity."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Commodification of Science

The transformation of scientific research from a public good focused on knowledge into a privatized commodity valued primarily for its potential to generate profit, patents, or competitive advantage. This shifts priorities from basic research and open inquiry to applied, marketable outcomes with immediate returns.

Example: "The commodification of science was clear when the university shut down its theoretical physics department to expand its corporate-backed AI lab. Knowledge for its own sake had no 'value'; only research with a direct path to patentable tech was funded."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Crony Science

A corrupt system where scientific funding, publication, and prestige are allocated not by merit, but through personal networks, institutional favoritism, and backroom deals. It's an old boys' club masquerading as a meritocracy, where who you know matters more than what you discover.

Example: "The grant went to the department chair's former student, despite a weaker proposal. That's crony science. The peer-review panel was stacked with his buddies, the journal he edits fast-tracked the publication, and a mediocre finding was launched as a major breakthrough."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Special Science

A term in philosophy of science referring to sciences that deal with specific, higher-level domains (like psychology, economics, geology) which have their own irreducible laws and explanations, even though they are ultimately grounded in physics. They are "special" because their phenomena require their own vocabulary and causal stories.

Example: "Trying to explain an economic recession solely with quantum physics is a category error. You need the special science of economics, with its own rules about supply, demand, and investor psychology. The recession 'supervenes' on particles, but isn't explained by them."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

General Science

The idealized, normative practice of science: forming hypotheses based on observation, testing them through controlled experiment and peer review, and revising conclusions based on evidence. It's the slow, collective, self-correcting process of building reliable knowledge about the natural world, warts and all.

Example: "The discovery of the structure of DNA was a triumph of general science: decades of work in chemistry, biology, and physics; data from X-ray crystallography; model-building; and a competitive but ultimately collaborative race that yielded a foundational truth."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026