Mundshme

Mundshme is a term used in speculative philosophy and science fiction to describe a category of propositions or states that resist strict classification under standard modal logics. A proposition is mundshme if current evidence neither establishes it as true nor falsifies it, and where future information could plausibly shift its status in either direction. The concept is designed to capture a gray area encountered in high-uncertainty inquiries, such as frontier science, experimental philosophy, or narrative causality.

The term is fictional coinage; it has appeared in online discourse and is sometimes attributed to a hypothetical linguist from a constructed language, with “mund” meaning world and the suffix “-shme” signifying a state or condition. It is not part of established epistemology or logic, but is used in thought experiments to illustrate how decision-making proceeds when a proposition is mundshme.

In practice, mundshme propositions are treated as requiring cautious action, probabilistic updating, and explicit acknowledgment of ignorance. They are distinct from mere hypotheses because they emphasize epistemic indeterminacy rather than simplicity or discomfort.

In fiction, mundshme is sometimes invoked to describe phenomena that are real in a story’s world but whose causal connections are deliberately underdetermined, enabling narrative exploration of choice under ambiguity. Critics argue that the notion can be vague and lacks formal criteria, while supporters view it as a useful label for boundary cases.

See also: epistemology, modal logic, uncertainty, thought experiments.