Tag Archives: conflict of interest

Don’t cherry pick your experts

The appeal to authority fallacy is one of the most common logical fallacies in internet debates. It is a favorite tactic among climate change deniers, anti-vaccers, young earth creationists, and pretty much anyone else who rejects “mainstream” science. I previously … Continue reading

Posted in Global Warming, Rules of Logic | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Vaccines and autism: A thorough review of the evidence (2019 update)

One of the most common concerns that people have about vaccines is that they might cause (or exacerbate) autism. This idea is perpetuated by celebrities and innumerable websites, and it has become one of the cornerstone arguments of the anti-vaccine … Continue reading

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

Anti-vaccers, climate change deniers, and anti-GMO activists are all the same

I imagine that quite a few people were upset by the title for this post, so let me explain what I mean, and please hear me out before you sharpen your pitchforks. The arguments used by all three of these … Continue reading

Posted in Global Warming, GMO, Nature of Science, Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 82 Comments

The image that took me two months to obtain: A window into what it is like to do research

Most people don’t really understand what scientists actually do or what is required to do scientific research. As a result, they don’t appreciate the amount of training and work that goes into being a scientists and conducting research. I personally … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Don’t mistake an assumption for a fact

I want you to imagine for a minute that you have been selected for jury duty, and you are sitting in the courtroom listening to the evidence. As you watch, the prosecution calls an expert forensic scientist to the stand, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments