Category Archives: Vaccines/Alternative Medicine

Dying the way that nature intended: Appeal to nature fallacies

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Fallacy Man

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

Understanding the reported risks of medicines, foods, toxic chemicals, etc.

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Fallacy Man

We are constantly bombarded with news reports and claims like, “A new study found that chemical X increases your risk of disease Y by 100%” or “doing X makes you twice as likely to have Y,” but what do those … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature of Science, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

6 reasons why anti-vaccers are wrong that “being sick is good”

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Fallacy Man

Is being sick a good thing? The answer to that question should be an obvious and resounding, “no!” Nevertheless, it is an extremely common claim made by anti-vaccers. They frequently argue that vaccine preventable diseases like measles are actually good … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged | 3 Comments

5 reasons why anecdotes are totally worthless

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Fallacy Man

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

Research, you’re doing it wrong: A look at Tenpenny’s “Vaccine Research Library”

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Fallacy Man

“I’ve done my research.” If you’ve ever debated someone who disagrees with a scientific  consensus, then you’ve probably encountered that sentence, especially if they were an anti-vaccer. It is the mantra of the anti-science movement, but it’s nearly always misused. … Continue reading →

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