This is an example of a causal fallacy specifically, in this case, a type known as false cause. Address this argument by focusing on how we know the vaccine is safe rather than the issue brought up about the company. While it seems like relevant information, it distracts from the point that COVID-19 vaccines were tested in large, well-controlled clinical trials, and they do not cause infertility. This is an example of an ad hominem attack because it focuses on the company making the vaccine instead of the vaccine’s safety. ![]() In addressing this concern, it is important to focus on the question related to the vaccine’s safety rather than the tangential discussions related to online information and lawsuits. In this example, the discussion of removal of information and lawsuits involving Bill Gates distracts from the primary concern related to COVID-19 vaccines causing infertility. Red herrings are seemingly relevant arguments that serve to distract from the point at hand. The types of fallacies used above include ad hominem attack, appeal to ignorance, causal fallacy, false dichotomy, red herring, and slippery slope arguments. If the vaccine doesn’t prevent a person from getting infected and spreading SARS-CoV-2, why get vaccinated?.I heard they want us to get the vaccine now, so they can just keep vaccinating us every year.I heard we don’t know about the long-term side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.A vaccine caused my friend’s autoimmune condition, so could the COVID-19 cause me to develop an autoimmune disease?.I heard we can’t trust the AstraZeneca vaccine because that company is aligned with the eugenics movement.Does this have to do with the COVID-19 vaccines causing infertility? I heard it’s because of lawsuits related to Bill Gates and the vaccines in Africa. Information that I saw online about COVID-19 disease causing sterility in the summer was removed.Each of which has circulated during the pandemic. With this in mind, try your hand at identifying the logical fallacies in the following COVID-19-based fallacies. ![]() By addressing both the information and ways to critically evaluate it, you can position patients to look for these types of unsound arguments because we all have to work together to critically assess and diminish the spread of information that is purposely designed to scare and mislead. But, when people have questions based on misinformation, you may have an opportunity to not only address the factual information related to the question at hand, but to also discuss these common errors in logic. One way to evaluate information is to look for “logical fallacies,” which are errors in reasoning that make an argument unsound.Īs healthcare providers whose advice is often sought, confronting misinformation may feel uncomfortable. However, critical evaluation of information is essential for making decisions that are based on sound, scientific information, particularly when it comes to COVID-19. It can be tough for people to evaluate information that is emotionally charged and shared by trusted friends, such as often occurs on social media. Misinformation has been circulating as quickly as the SARS-CoV-2 virus over the last year.
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