Hard Problem of Reason

The paradox that human rationality is bounded, emotional, and culturally shaped, yet we must use this imperfect tool to understand itself and the world. "Pure reason" is a fantasy; our reasoning is always motivated, contextual, and built on subconscious foundations. The problem is that we cannot step outside of reason to objectively audit it, creating a foundational circularity.

Example: A "rationalist" community that uses reason to deconstruct all beliefs, arriving at cold utilitarianism. They fail to see that their choice to value logical consistency and utility maximization is itself an unreasoned preference, an emotional allegiance to a particular aesthetic of thinking. They've hit the Hard Problem of Reason: their tool cannot justify its own prime directives.

by Dumuabzu February 8, 2026

Hard Problem of Evidence

The dilemma that all evidence is interpreted through pre-existing frameworks (theories, biases, cultural narratives). There is no such thing as a "brute fact." A piece of data only becomes evidence for or against something within a specific story about how the world works. Changing someone's mind therefore requires not just new facts, but a change in their entire interpretive framework—a much harder task.

Example: Presenting vaccine efficacy data to an anti-vaxxer. The numbers are dismissed as fabricated by Big Pharma. The Hard Problem of Evidence is that the evidence is not seen as neutral. It is processed through a framework where institutional authority is inherently distrusted. New evidence strengthens the framework ("See, they're pushing harder!"), rather than challenging it. The battle is over frameworks, not facts.

by Dumuabzu February 8, 2026