Category Archives: Rules of Logic

Don’t tell people to “Google it.” That’s your job, not theirs

Posted on September 27, 2016 by

I spend a lot of time debating people on the internet, and, unsurprisingly, I frequently encounter people who make outlandish claims without providing any evidence to support those claims. In such situations, I typically ask them to present their sources, … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules of Logic | Tagged , , ,

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

Posted on August 16, 2016 by

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

The nirvana fallacy: An imperfect solution is often better than no solution

Posted on June 20, 2016 by

In this post, I want to briefly explain and discuss a logical blunder known commonly as the “nirvana fallacy.” This fallacy occurs when you suggest either that a solution should not be used because it is imperfect or that a … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming, GMO, Rules of Logic, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Science doesn’t prove anything, and that’s a good thing

Posted on April 19, 2016 by

It is often the case that the most fundamental concepts in science are the ones that are the most misunderstood, and that is certainly true with the concept of “proof.” Many people accept the misconception that science is capable of … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature of Science, Rules of Logic | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Dying the way that nature intended: Appeal to nature fallacies

Posted on April 12, 2016 by

The idea that nature has our best interest in mind is prevalent throughout the anti-science movement. For example, it is common to hear people say, “I’m not going to vaccinate, because I want my children to build immunity naturally, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules of Logic, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

5 reasons why anecdotes are totally worthless

Posted on February 10, 2016 by

Personal anecdotes are often the primary ammunition of those who deny science. If you ask anyone in the alternative medicine or anti-vaccine movements for their evidence, you will almost certainly get flooded with anecdotes. A quick internet search will reveal … Continue reading →

Posted in GMO, Nature of Science, Rules of Logic, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The genetic fallacy: When is it okay to criticize a source?

Posted on January 18, 2016 by

Last week, I wrote a post on the hierarchy of scientific evidence which included the figure to the right. In that post, I explained why some types of scientific papers produced more robust results than others. Some people, however, took … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules of Logic | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments