Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Anti-Washers: Why Anti-Vaccers Aren’t Allowed to be Insulted by Accusations That They Cause Outbreaks

A tragic and preventable story has repeatedly played itself out over the past several years. In various countries, people have been refusing vaccines, and as the vaccination rates dropped, outbreaks of previously eliminated diseases began to appear. During these outbreaks, … Continue reading

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Applying Inductive and Deductive Logic to the Theory of Evolution

In a previous post, I explained the difference between inductive logic and deductive logic and how we use both types of reasoning in science (I recommend that you read that post before continuing). In this post, I am going to … Continue reading

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Evolution, Natural Selection, and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

It is very common for people to use the terms “evolution,” “natural selection,” and “theory of evolution” interchangeably, but, in reality, all three of these terms refer to different things and it is important to keep them straight. In this … Continue reading

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Basics of Global Climate Change: A Logical Proof That it is Our Fault

There are few topics with a wider disconnect between what scientists know to be true and what the general public thinks than global warming. Based on the most recent Gallup poll numbers (which were from 2013 when this post was … Continue reading

Posted in Global Warming | Tagged , | 10 Comments

The Value of Carefully Controlled Studies: A Thought Experiment

Amusingly, anti-scientists (such as anti-vaccers) always claim to have the upper hand on scientific knowledge. I have yet to meet one who hasn’t claimed to be “well-informed” or to have “done their research.” Yet when you ask anti-vaccers for their … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments