The recognition that evidence is never neutral; it is always interpreted through a lens. A strand of hair is just a biological filament until a detective's theory of the crime constructs it as "evidence of the suspect's presence." A statistical correlation is just a number until an economist's model constructs it as "evidence for market manipulation." The theory comes first and dictates what counts as evidence and what that evidence means.
Example: "In the conspiracy forum, the same government press release was constructed as 'evidence of a cover-up' (because they'd admit that if it were true?) and as 'evidence of their brazen transparency' (to throw us off!). The Theory of Constructed Evidence shows the evidence itself was passive; the opposing theories did all the work."
by Dumu The Void January 30, 2026
Get the Theory of Constructed Evidence mug.Evidence about the quality, validity, or interpretation of other evidence. It's the evidence you use to weigh evidence. This includes a study's methodology, the chain of custody for a forensic sample, the calibration records of a sensor, or the historical accuracy of a witness. In a courtroom, the DNA match is evidence; the lab's accreditation and error rate is the meta-evidence. It's the critical layer that separates raw data from a credible claim, and it's where most conspiracy theories and legitimate skepticism violently collide.
Example: "The photo was evidence of the event. The meta-evidence—the JPEG's EXIF data showing it was created two days prior, and the shadow angles being physically impossible—was what proved it was a fake. The evidence lied; the meta-evidence told the truth about the lie."
by Dumu The Void January 30, 2026
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