Author Archives: Fallacy Man

Vaccines and autism: A thorough review of the evidence (2026 update)

One of the most common concerns that people have about vaccines is that they might cause (or exacerbate) autism. This idea is perpetuated by celebrities and innumerable websites, and it has become one of the cornerstone arguments of the anti-vaccine … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

COVID vaccines are safer than COVID itself

Some of the most persistent myths and misconceptions around COVID19 vaccines concern the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly in young people. A massive new study has obliterated these myths using a very clever study design, and it’s worth diving … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Anti-vaccers are fundamentally wrong about placebo-controlled trials

Anti-vaxxers love to demand placebo-controlled trials and insist that nothing else will suffice for demonstrating vaccine safety. This approach to medical research is flawed for a number of reasons. First, as I’ve explained previously, new vaccines are, in fact, tested … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature of Science, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Understanding analogies in logical arguments

Yesterday, on this blog’s Facebook page, I posted the stick figure comic on the right, lightly making fun of anti-vaccers and using analogies to demonstrate why they are wrong that 100% effectiveness is needed for vaccines to be useful. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules of Logic, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Stop blaming China and India for climate change

Over and over again when discussing climate change, I encounter Americans who insist that there is no point in doing anything because China and India are the real problem. This claim takes various forms but generally includes claiming that America’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming | Tagged , | 4 Comments