Sweeping Rationality

The imperialistic overreach of a particular model of rationality (often hyper-logical, quantitative, or scientistic) into domains where it is ill-suited, such as art, love, spirituality, or tradition. It sweeps away other ways of knowing by declaring them "irrational."

Example: "His sweeping rationality killed the poetry reading. 'A sunset isn't "beautiful,"' he said. 'It's just Rayleigh scattering. And your poem about loss is just a dopamine deficit triggered by memory recall.' He swept the entire room's experience into the narrow bin of reductive materialism."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Sweeping Argument

An argument that attempts to cover too much ground with too few specifics, using grand, universal language to condemn or endorse huge categories of things (e.g., "all government," "modern art," "that generation"). It sacrifices precision for rhetorical force.

Example: "Her sweeping argument was exhausting: 'Everything in popular culture is a manufactured commodity designed to pacify the proletariat!' Movies, music, memes—it was all swept into one giant, simplistic critique, leaving no room for nuance, exception, or joy."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Sweeping Debate

A debate where the scope relentlessly expands to encompass larger and larger philosophical, historical, or moral questions, making resolution impossible. Every point about a specific tax policy sweeps into a debate about the nature of justice, freedom, and human existence.

Example: "What started as a debate about pizza toppings swept into a debate about Italian cultural appropriation, the agricultural industry, animal ethics, and the philosophy of taste. Two hours later, no one knew if pineapple was acceptable, but everyone was angry about capitalism." Sweeping Debate

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Sweeping Science

Making grand, universal claims about complex systems (like human behavior, climate, or ecosystems) based on oversimplified models or a single disciplinary lens. It's the over-extension of a scientific paradigm beyond its useful domain, ignoring confounding variables and the inherent complexity of the subject.

Example: "His sweeping science approach claimed all human mating choices could be reduced to a simple genetic algorithm for optimal offspring. It ignored culture, love, personal history, and the entire field of sociology. It was a biologist's hammer treating the human heart as a nail."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026