They want you to be able to make your own decisions. They tell their audience to not be “sheep”, and to not listen to “mainstream” voices or the “deep state”.
In a classic example of misdirection they use a variety of tricks to make you think you are not thinking clearly or independently.
These tactics include seducing you to subscribe to “logical fallsacies”. These are flawed reasoning patterns which sound convincing, but lead to false conclusions.
Logical fallacies can be compared to optical illusions: they may look convincing, but are ultimately a sleight of hand. As a magician would try to fool you into thinking he has really pulled a rabbit out of a hat.
When you understand how magic tricks work, they no longer fool you. Once you understand the logic behind common logical errors, their power will quickly diminish. When you see what’s behind the curtain, you will begin to realize the truth.
You should be aware of ten common vaccine myths.
1. Appeal to Nature Fallacy
Claim type:
Vaccines must be bad because they are not natural.
Fallacy : The assumption that natural products are always safer or better is not supported by logic or science. Many natural substances can be deadly or harmful, but many man-made products are also life-saving, including most medicines.
2. Slippery slope fallacy
Claim type:
We will lose our medical freedom if we accept vaccine mandates.
Fallacy : The fallacy is that a reasonable or minor action will lead to something extreme and unreal. This is one the easiest fallacies you can spot. It relies on stretching logic beyond its limits to create fear. This tactic is particularly popular with politicians.
3. Ad hominem fallacy
Claim type:
You can’t rely on that doctor. He’s overweight and doesn’t understand how to take care of himself.
Fallacy : Attack the person rather than engaging with their arguments or evidence. It is a common strategy used when someone does not have the ability to examine the evidence or has no proof to support their argument.
4. False dichotomy fallacy
Claim type:
Either you blindly trust vaccines or are a freethinker.
Falsehood: It ignores the nuanced and complex middle ground, and simplifies the options. This is often a variation of the “you are either with us, or against us” trick. This framing of the debate makes one option seem unreasonable and gives the impression that the correct choice is obvious.
5. Straw man fallacy
Claim type:
Vaccine proponents believe vaccines to be perfect and without risk.
Fallacy This is the tactic most often used by those who spread misinformation about vaccines. This tactic relies on misrepresenting evidence in order to make an attack easier. This tactic often uses a variety of tactics, such as cherry-picking or simplifying the evidence. RFK Jr loves this tactic.
6. Post hoc fallacy (false cause)
Claim type:
I think the vaccine is to blame for my child’s illness.
Fallacy : Confuses correlation with cause without considering alternative explanations. It doesn’t matter if two events happen at the same time. The false belief that MMR causes autism is based on a one fraudulent study which wrongly inferred causality from a simple correlation.
Read on: How do scientists determine why certain things happen if ‘correlation does not imply causation?’
7. The bandwagon fallacy is a popular appeal.
Claim type:
There must be something wrong if millions of people question vaccines.
Fallacy : Assumes a widely held belief is equal to truth. This is also called the “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X23001811#:%7E:text=In%20laboratory%20experiments%2C%20the%20illusory,news%20headlines%20and%20conspiracy%20beliefs. It's the "illusory Truth Effect" that has a major influence on misinformation. People are more likely believe misinformation when they find themselves in echo rooms where they're led to believe that a particular view is widely held even if it is clearly untrue. The human brain is wired to follow the crowd.
8. Anecdotal fallacy
Claim type:
I’ve known someone who was vaccinated but still got sick, so vaccines don’t work.
Fallacy Uses personal stories in place of statistical or scientific proof. It is the same as referring to the grandmother that smoked a packet of cigarettes every day and lived until 100. is often used to back up a claim when there’s no supporting evidence. Anecdotes, which are not always verifiable and are often unreliable, are not a substitute for scientific evidence.
9. Perfectionist fallacy
Claim type:
Vaccines don’t work 100% of the time, and are therefore useless.
Falsehood Rejects an excellent solution (vaccines), because it’s not perfect. There is no medical intervention that is risk-free. It is absurd to assume that even something as universally used as Aspirin has no side effects.
10. Base rate fallacy
Claim type:
The vaccines are not working because more people who have been vaccinated get sick.
Falsehood In a population with a high vaccination rate, the majority of people are vaccinated. However, some people who have been vaccinated will still fall ill. The absolute number of vaccinated persons who become ill will exceed the number of those who were not vaccinated but became ill. However, this can be misleading because the proportion of vaccinated patients will be smaller.
In a Nutshell
In our time, bad actors can easily spread misinformation. We all need to be aware of the tricks and tactics used by con artists so that we are not duped.
We can protect ourselves by recognizing how logical fallacies make false arguments appear convincing. Once you know the most common logical fallacies used, it is harder to be fooled.
Hassan Vally has not disclosed any relevant affiliations other than their academic appointment.
