Tag Archives: alternative medicine

Dying the way that nature intended: Appeal to nature fallacies

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

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

Ancient knowledge and the test of time

The notion of “ancient knowledge” is a common theme among anti-vaccers and alternative health practitioners. It generally takes one of two basic forms. Either they claim that something is right/effective/safe because our ancestors thought so and they were somehow privy … Continue reading

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Supporting science isn’t the same as supporting big business

Hardly a day goes by without someone accusing me of being a “shill.” You see, I have the audacity to say that we should be getting scientific information from reputable scientific sources (i.e., the peer-reviewed literature), rather than trusting blogs, … Continue reading

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

It’s just water: how homeopathy debunks itself

Homeopathy is one of the most popular and fastest growing alternative “medicines.” People are drawn to its alluring claims of “treating the whole person” and “having no side effects” like moths to a flame. Nevertheless, I generally find that most … Continue reading

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