False Assumption Registry

Academia

40 entries in this category

• Groups Have Equal Innate Potential
  Races and the sexes have the same innate distribution of potential, making all group disparities the result of environmental forces.
  Mainstream still holds this assumption to be true despite evidence against it 26 sources
• Ego Depletion Limits Willpower
  Self-control depletes like a limited resource after use, causing subsequent failures.
  Mainstream now strongly agrees this assumption was false 8 sources
• Stereotype Threat Impairs Performance
  Reminding people of negative group stereotypes subtly causes them to underperform on relevant tasks like math.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 6 sources
• Microaggressions Cause Mental Health Harm
  Microaggressions cause harm and have negative impacts on health and mental health, as inferred from correlations in nonexperimental studies.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 6 sources
• Affirmative Action Causes No Reverse Discrimination
  Civil rights protections and affirmative action do not discriminate against white people.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 6 sources
• Academic Hiring Favors Men
  Academic hiring, tenure decisions, and promotions systematically favor men over women.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 5 sources
• Human Judgment Beats Algorithms
  Holistic human intuition and gut feelings outperform structured algorithms in evaluating candidates for jobs, admissions, and awards.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 5 sources
• Race-IQ Inquiry Must Be Silenced
  Open discussion and research on race differences in IQ are so dangerous that they justify censorship, institutional bans, or self-imposed ignorance to prevent racism and stereotypes.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 4 sources
• Anti-Bias Trainings Work
  Diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings effectively reduce bias and discriminatory behavior.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 4 sources
• Gatsby Was Black in Whiteface
  Jay Gatsby's outsider status and ambiguous identity indicate he was a black man passing as white.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 4 sources
• Lab Studies Predict Real Behavior
  Controlled lab experiments in social psychology reliably demonstrate effects that occur and matter in the real world.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 3 sources
• Stereotypes Are Inaccurate
  Beliefs about group differences, such as sex differences in job preferences, are stereotypes defined as inaccurate overgeneralizations.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 2 sources
• Pretendians Are Authentic Natives
  Individuals claiming Native American or First Nations ancestry based on family stories qualify as indigenous for academic, publishing, and grant benefits.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 2 sources
• Watson Unfit Over Race Comments
  James D. Watson's comments on racial inequality disqualify him from leading genetics research despite his managerial success.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 2 sources
• IQ Tests Are a Hoax
  IQ testing is a pseudoscientific hoax that measures arbitrary puzzle-solving ability rather than genuine, hereditary intelligence predictive of life outcomes.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 2 sources
• Willpower Builds Long-Term Success
  Exercising state self-control through willpower in the moment reliably leads to long-term success and better life outcomes.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 2 sources
• Feminization Causes Wokism
  Wokism and cancel culture emerged in the 2010s because women achieved majority representation in elite institutions and imposed innate feminine behaviors like prioritizing empathy over rationality and...
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Society Imprisons Natural Goodness
  Civilization corrupts inherently good humans, imprisoning them in oppressive chains that require elite-led liberation.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• West Indian Success from Slavery Culture
  Black West Indians outperform Afro-Americans on income, education, and occupational prestige due to cultural differences rooted in the provision ground system of British Caribbean slavery.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Epigenetics Transmits Ancestral Trauma
  Environmental stresses and traumas are transmitted across multiple human generations via heritable epigenetic modifications.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Academia Free of Ideological Corruption
  Academia suffers no significant left-wing ideological corruption affecting theory, methods, hiring, teaching, grant-making, and publishing.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Partisan Activism Safe for AAUP
  Academic organizations like the AAUP can engage in uncritical partisan politics using the cover of academic freedom without inviting harmful external interventions.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Left Speech Suppression Invites No Backlash
  Progressive cancellations of faculty speech from 2015-2023 would erode norms without provoking retaliatory government punishments from the right.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Classics Oppose White Nationalism
  Ancient Greece and Rome represent enlightened tolerance incompatible with white nationalist ideas, so their invocation by nationalists constitutes misuse.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Most Oppressed Are Most Talented
  The most oppressed groups, especially black women due to intersecting racism and sexism, possess the most underexploited talent and merit promotion to leadership roles.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Individual Intelligence Differences Are Boring
  Differences in intelligence between human individuals are uninteresting to study and lack consistent genetic relationships to outcomes like educational attainment.
  Mainstream now strongly agrees this assumption was false 1 sources
• Skull Size Reveals No Traits
  The size and shape of the head have no bearing on mental and behavioural traits in either individuals or groups.
  Mainstream still holds this assumption to be true despite evidence against it 1 sources
• Education Drives Twins-Apart IQ Differences
  IQ differences of identical twins reared apart are significantly influenced by educational differences.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Quantum Supremacy Evokes White Supremacy
  The scientific term 'quantum supremacy' irresponsibly evokes 'white supremacy' and risks sustaining divisions in race, gender, and class.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Distant Racism Explains Black Problems
  Current black socioeconomic troubles stem from white racism in the distant past rather than events of the last half century.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Angela Davis Innocent of Judge Murder
  Angela Davis bears no moral responsibility for the 1970 courtroom murder of Judge Harold Haley despite buying the murder weapon.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Oppressed Have Superior Virtue
  Oppressed groups possess inherent moral superiority due to their subjection.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Toumaï is Oldest Hominin
  The Toumaï skull from Chad represents the oldest known hominin and ancestor of humankind.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Shakespeare Enables White Supremacy
  Celebrating Shakespeare as a universal genius promotes white supremacy and colonial ideologies.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Skull Study Is Racist and Icky
  Scientific study of human skulls for brain evolution insights is inherently racist, unscientific, and distasteful.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• SAT Recentering Preserves Top-End Discrimination
  Recentering SAT scores in 1995 and 2017 maintained the test's ability to finely distinguish elite talent without enabling admissions of lower-scoring activists.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• SAT/ACT Scores Are Biased Predictors
  Standardized test scores like SAT/ACT are less predictive of college success than high school GPA and exhibit bias against disadvantaged or minority students.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Psych Concepts Valid Without Data
  Psychological theories like stereotype threat, ego depletion, and implicit bias remain valid even when replication data fails to support them.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Marshmallow Test Predicts Life Success
  The length of time children delay eating a marshmallow predicts their long-term success in life.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Don't Punch Down in Academia
  Those with more power or privilege should refrain from criticizing ideas held by those with less power or from marginalized groups.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources