Author Archives: Fallacy Man

Measles is not better than autism: Debunking anti-vaccine arguments

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Fallacy Man

Over the weekend, I was unfortunate enough to come across an article by Jaclyn Harwell at “Modern Alternative Health” called “5 Reasons That Measles is Better Than Autism.” Unsurprisingly, it was full of misinformation and shoddy arguments. Indeed, it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , | 106 Comments

4 meaningless words: toxin, natural, organic, and GMO

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Fallacy Man

News articles and blog posts are often full of buzzwords that are heavy on emotional impact but light on substance, and for scientific topics such as nutrition, health, medicine, and agriculture, four of the most common buzzwords are “toxins,” “natural,” … Continue reading →

Posted in GMO, Rules of Logic | Tagged , | 73 Comments

Evolutionary mechanisms part 6: Genetic drift

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Fallacy Man

Many people are under the false impression that evolution is always beneficial, but it can actually be quite harmful. This is especially true for evolution via genetic drift. Like natural selection, genetic drift removes variation from a population, but unlike … Continue reading →

Posted in Science of Evolution | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Are scientists arrogant, close-minded, and dismissive?

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Fallacy Man

I spend a lot of time debating people who reject science, and I have observed a common tendency for people to try to dismiss scientific results by attacking scientists with accusations that they are, “arrogant,” “close-minded,” “dismissive” and don’t “take … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments

Debunking anti-vaccine arguments: VAERS, package inserts, and the VICP do not prove that vaccines are dangerous

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Fallacy Man

If you spend any time talking to those who oppose vaccines, you will likely hear them cite the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), vaccine package inserts, and the national Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) as evidence that vaccines are … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments