Author Archives: Fallacy Man

Occam’s razor is about assumptions, not simplicity

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Fallacy Man

Occam’s razor is an important tool for critical thinking, and it is employed constantly in science. Nevertheless, it is often misunderstood and is frequently (and erroneously) stated as, “the simplest solution is usually the correct one.” This is an unfortunate … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules of Logic | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Vaccines are “unavoidably unsafe,” but that doesn’t mean they are dangerous

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Fallacy Man

I have increasingly seen anti-vaccers citing the fact that vaccines are considered “unavoidably unsafe,” as proof that vaccines are dangerous and should be avoided. In reality, however, the term “unavoidably unsafe” is just legal jargon that does not mean what … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Bt GMOs reduce pesticides, increase yields, and benefit farmers (including organic farmers)

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Fallacy Man

Few technologies have been demonized to the same extent as genetic engineering. According to countless websites, GMOs are an evil scourge on the earth that destroy biodiversity, use exorbitant levels of pesticides, and hybridize rampantly with wild crops, and all … Continue reading →

Posted in GMO | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Life constantly arises from “nonliving matter”

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Fallacy Man

Creationists often argue that scientists’ lack of knowledge about how the first cell arose is evidence that life could not have arisen “spontaneously from nonliving matter.” There are numerous problems with this argument, some of which I have dealt with … Continue reading →

Posted in Science of Evolution | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Methodolatry: An over-reliance on placebo-controlled trials

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Fallacy Man

Randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) are often referred to as the “gold standard” for clinical research, and they certainly are useful and powerful tools. They aren’t, however, the only reliable tools, nor are they always the best tools. Indeed, there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature of Science, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Methodolatry: An over-reliance on placebo-controlled trials