Law of Epistemological Privilege

The principle that epistemological privilege operates systematically—that certain ways of knowing are consistently privileged over others across contexts, and that this privilege shapes what counts as knowledge, who gets to produce it, and who benefits. The Law of Epistemological Privilege argues that this is not random or accidental but structural: institutions, funding, publishing, and education all reinforce the same hierarchies of knowing. The law calls for examining these structures, for questioning why certain epistemologies are privileged, for opening space for marginalized ways of knowing. It's the foundation of epistemic humility, of the recognition that your epistemology's privilege may have nothing to do with its validity.

Example: "She'd always assumed that the way she knew things was just the way to know things. The Law of Epistemological Privilege showed her otherwise: her epistemology was privileged because of where she was born, where she was educated, what institutions she belonged to. Other ways of knowing existed, but they were systematically excluded. She started asking why, and what she could do about it."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Theory of Epistemological Privilege

The comprehensive framework for understanding how certain ways of knowing are privileged over others, and how this privilege shapes knowledge production and validation. The Theory of Epistemological Privilege argues that epistemology is not neutral—that what counts as knowledge is shaped by social power, historical accident, and institutional structures. It traces the mechanisms of privilege: funding that supports certain research, publication that favors certain methods, education that teaches certain epistemologies. It analyzes the effects of privilege: knowledge that serves dominant interests, knowledge that excludes marginalized perspectives, knowledge that presents itself as universal while being deeply partial. The theory doesn't claim that privileged epistemology is always wrong; it claims that its privilege should be examined, its partiality acknowledged, its dominance questioned.

Example: "He'd thought epistemology was just philosophy—abstract, neutral, above politics. The Theory of Epistemological Privilege showed him otherwise: epistemology was deeply political, shaped by power, serving interests. The questions asked, the methods valued, the answers accepted—all reflected who had privilege. He started asking not just what was known, but who got to know, and why."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Theorem of Epistemological Privilege

A specific proposition within the broader theory: that epistemological privilege is self-sustaining—the privileged epistemology produces the standards by which all epistemologies are judged, ensuring its continued dominance. The theorem argues that this is not a conspiracy but a structure: those who control the means of knowledge production (universities, journals, funding) also control the standards of knowledge. Alternative epistemologies must either conform to these standards (and thereby lose their distinctiveness) or be dismissed as unsound. The Theorem of Epistemological Privilege explains why genuine epistemological diversity is so hard to achieve, why dominant ways of knowing seem so natural, why change is so slow.

Example: "She tried to introduce Indigenous epistemology into the academy, but it was always judged by Western standards. The Theorem of Epistemological Privilege explained why: the academy's standards were set by Western epistemology. Her knowledge had to fit those standards to be recognized—which meant it ceased to be itself. She stopped trying to fit in and started building spaces where different epistemologies could flourish on their own terms."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Law of Efficiency Privilege

The principle that certain definitions of efficiency are privileged over others—not because they're better but because they're associated with dominant institutions, classes, or power structures. The Law of Efficiency Privilege argues that what counts as efficient is shaped by who has power to define it. Corporate efficiency is privileged over worker efficiency; market efficiency over ecological efficiency; quantitative efficiency over qualitative. This privilege is invisible to those who benefit—they just think their efficiency is efficiency. The law calls for examining why certain efficiency measures are privileged, whose interests they serve, and what's excluded.

Example: "The policy was praised for its efficiency—by the corporations that would profit. Workers, communities, the environment—all saw it differently. The Law of Efficiency Privilege explained why corporate efficiency was the only one that counted: corporations had power to define the terms. Other efficiencies existed, but they were marginalized. He started asking whose efficiency was being privileged."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Theory of Efficiency Privilege

The systematic elaboration of efficiency privilege as a framework for understanding the politics of evaluation. The Theory of Efficiency Privilege argues that efficiency is never neutral—that certain definitions are privileged, others marginalized, and that this privilege reflects social power, not technical superiority. It traces how corporate efficiency became dominant, how it was used to justify exploitation and extraction, how alternative efficiencies (ecological, social, humane) were suppressed. It doesn't claim that privileged efficiency is always wrong; it claims that its privilege should be examined, its partiality acknowledged, its dominance questioned.

Example: "He'd thought efficiency was just efficiency—technical, neutral, above politics. The Theory of Efficiency Privilege showed him otherwise: efficiency was deeply political, shaped by power, serving interests. The measures used, the values counted, the outcomes favored—all reflected who had privilege. He started asking not just 'is it efficient?' but 'whose efficiency, and who benefits?'"

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Theorem of Efficiency Privilege

A specific proposition within the broader theory: that efficiency privilege is self-sustaining—the privileged definition of efficiency produces the standards by which all efficiencies are judged, ensuring its continued dominance. The theorem argues that this is not a conspiracy but a structure: those who control institutions (corporations, governments, media) also control what counts as efficient. Alternative efficiencies must either conform to these standards (and thereby lose their distinctiveness) or be dismissed as impractical, unrealistic, inefficient. The Theorem of Efficiency Privilege explains why genuine alternatives struggle for recognition, why dominant measures seem so natural, why change is so slow.

Example: "Her community's cooperative was efficient by their measure—sustainable, equitable, resilient. But by corporate standards, it was 'inefficient'—too slow, too small, too democratic. The Theorem of Efficiency Privilege explained why corporate standards always won: they set the terms. Her cooperative couldn't win by those terms; it had to challenge them. She stopped trying to prove efficiency and started questioning what efficiency meant."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026