Special Objectivity Bias

The recognition that genuine objectivity, to the extent it's possible at all, is always special—always specific to a particular domain, method, and community of inquiry. Unlike General Objectivity Bias (which thinks objectivity is a uniform trait), Special Objectivity Bias is the awareness that being objective about quantum physics requires different tools than being objective about historical events, which requires different tools than being objective about your own feelings. It's not really a bias at all—it's the antidote to bias: the understanding that every kind of truth demands its own kind of rigor.

"Stop treating your scientific training like it makes you objective about my emotional experience. Different domains, different rules. Learn some Special Objectivity Bias and sit down."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Factual Objectivity Bias

The belief that if you simply state enough discrete, verifiable facts, you have delivered objective truth—as if facts interpret themselves. The Factual Objectivist floods conversations with data points, assuming that the sheer weight of correct information will inevitably lead everyone to the same conclusion. They miss that facts are always selected, framed, and connected by someone with a perspective. Two people can agree on every fact and still disagree violently about what those facts mean. But the Factual Objectivist treats meaning as something that automatically falls out of facts, like water from a cloud.

"I've given you seventeen statistics about crime rates, so my point is proven," she said, unaware that her selection of statistics and her interpretation of their significance were doing all the work. Factual Objectivity Bias: drowning in data while starving for wisdom.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Ignorance Objectivity Bias

The belief that not knowing much about a topic actually makes you more objective—that knowledge itself is a form of corruption. The Ignorance Objectivist thinks that experts are biased by their expertise, that learning creates distortion, and that the fresh, untrained eye sees things more clearly. This is the bias of people who pride themselves on "just asking questions" without doing any of the reading required to understand the answers. It's ignorance reframed as a virtue, naivete as methodology.

"I haven't read any of those studies, so I can look at this with fresh eyes, unbiased by all that research," said the man whose "fresh eyes" were about to reinvent a wheel that's been round for decades. Ignorance Objectivity Bias: when not knowing becomes a flex.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Non-Ignorance Objectivity Bias

The counterweight to Ignorance Objectivity—the belief that knowledge, while necessary, is never sufficient for objectivity. The Non-Ignorance Objectivist understands that learning a field's facts and methods is the entry requirement for having an informed opinion, but that even the most knowledgeable expert remains subject to framing effects, blind spots, and community assumptions. True objectivity isn't achieved by escaping knowledge or by accumulating it—it's achieved by constantly subjecting your knowledge to critique from multiple angles. It's the bias of people who know that knowing isn't enough.

"I've studied this for twenty years, which means I should be more suspicious of my own conclusions, not less. That's Non-Ignorance Objectivity Bias: expertise as the beginning of doubt, not the end of it."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Neutral Objectivity Bias

The belief that the most objective position is always the one that takes no side—that neutrality itself is a form of truth. The Neutral Objectivist treats every conflict as something to be split down the middle, every argument as something to be mediated, every injustice as something with "two valid perspectives." They mistake the performance of non-alignment for the achievement of clarity. This bias is most common among people whose privilege allows them the luxury of never needing to take a side, because no side is actively harming them.

"I'm just neutral on this human rights issue—I want to hear both sides objectively," she said, as if the people being harmed were just one perspective among many. Neutral Objectivity Bias: when comfort with the status quo dresses up as wisdom.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Authority Objectivity Bias

The assumption that statements from recognized authorities—institutions, experts, official sources—are inherently more objective than claims from marginalized or unofficial sources. It's not always wrong to trust expertise, but the bias lies in treating institutional authority as a guarantee of objectivity rather than one signal among many. The Authority Objectivist forgets that institutions have their own biases, their own histories of exclusion, their own incentives to protect themselves. They trust the peer-reviewed paper without asking who wasn't allowed into the conversation that produced it.

"The university study says this, so it's objective," he said, unaware of the funding sources, the demographic homogeneity of the researchers, and the centuries of institutional bias that shaped what counted as a "study" in the first place. Authority Objectivity Bias: mistaking prestige for purity.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026

Majority Neutrality Bias

The belief that the most common or popular position on an issue is automatically the most neutral one—that consensus equals objectivity. The Majority Neutralist assumes that if most people believe something, that belief must be free of bias, because bias is deviation from the norm. This flips the actual relationship: majorities have the most powerful biases, the ones that get to dress up as "common sense" precisely because they're invisible to those who hold them. The majority view isn't neutral—it's just the bias you don't have to defend.

"Most people in this country agree with me, so I'm obviously not biased—I'm just normal." That's Majority Neutrality Bias: mistaking the water you're swimming in for the absence of water.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 22, 2026