Tag Archives: anecdotal evidence

Vaccines and autism: A thorough review of the evidence

UPDATE March 2019: Since writing this post, anti-vaccer’s lists have grown and several new studies have been published. Therefore, I wrote an updated version of this article which you can read here. The evidence that vaccines don’t cause autism has … Continue reading

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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

100 bad arguments against vaccines

From time to time, I get directed to an article titled “One Hundred Arguments Against Vaccines” which was written by Natural Health Warriors and is nothing more than a Gish Gallop of anti-vaccine tropes. I have been loath to address … Continue reading

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What Does It Actually Mean to “Do Your Homework”?

The anti-vaccine movement touts many appealing rallying cries, such as “do your homework,” “educate before you vaccinate,” and “think for yourself.” These slogans sound excellent and I whole-heartedly agree with them, but unfortunately, the actual actions of the anti-vaccers are … Continue reading

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The Value of Carefully Controlled Studies: A Thought Experiment

Amusingly, anti-scientists (such as anti-vaccers) always claim to have the upper hand on scientific knowledge. I have yet to meet one who hasn’t claimed to be “well-informed” or to have “done their research.” Yet when you ask anti-vaccers for their … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments