dixist

Dixist is a term used in online discourse and speculative writing to describe a stance or movement that centers on the primacy of asserted statements as guiding principles. In this usage, a dixist is someone who treats a proposition declared in good faith as a starting point for argument, inquiry, or policy, with the act of saying something taken as evidence of its authority. The term does not refer to a formal school of thought recognized in mainstream philosophy and has no canonical doctrine.

Etymology: The term draws on the Latin dixit, meaning “he said.” The adjective dixist and noun dixism/dixist are informal coinages.

History and usage: Dixist emerged in the early 21st century in online debates about epistemic authority, rhetoric, and persuasion. It is often used polemically to describe debates where assertion is treated as sufficient justification, or where the source of a claim is prioritized over its demonstrable support. In fiction or satire, dixism may be used to critique dogmatic insistence on authority.

Beliefs and practices: There is no fixed creed. Some dixists may emphasize deference to experts, authorities, or texts as a heuristic, while others may treat any declared statement as binding within a community. Variants range from rhetorical devices to genuine epistemic commitments.

Criticism and reception: The term is generally marginal and context-dependent. Critics argue that dixism can suppress scrutiny and promote unverified claims, while supporters contend it highlights social dynamics of trust and legitimacy in discourse.

See also: Dixit; Latin phrases in philosophy; epistemic authority; dogmatism; rhetoric.