"Anti-vaccination" has now fully replaced "creationism" as the go-to example of a position that is contrary to scientific consensus. I understand how it happened, but it's not a good shift, since the two positions, while inaccurate, emerge from very different cognitive errors.
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The spectrum of positions potentially described by anti-vaccination is also very different from the spectrum that can be described as creationist. It would take more than a Twitter thread to explain why we need to be clear about all this, but IMO it really is a big problem.
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Replying to @AlanLevinovitz
What difference does it make if the anti-vaxx and creationism arise from different errors? They're equally far outside the scientific consensus. Anti-vaxx tries to portray itself as reasonable concern just as creationists try to portray themselves as scientifically respectable.
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Replying to @beyerstein @AlanLevinovitz
Exactly, and I would counter with an argument that the errors are not really as different as Alan is portraying them.
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Replying to @gorskon @beyerstein
Well, like I said, too much for a Twitter thread! And as you both know I'm a fan of highlighting similarities between different forms of faulty thinking. It's just...the errors really are quite different. For one, visceral fear of physical harm isn't part of creationism.
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Replying to @AlanLevinovitz @gorskon
But why is it a problem? They’re equally good examples of anti-scientific thinking, even if they are different. Why does the go-to example of anti-scientific thinking have to be creationism?
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Replying to @beyerstein @gorskon
Oh it definitely doesn't have to be creationism. The reason it's a problem is, like I said, that I think it comes from a different set of errors. Another example is that creationism tends to come *from* your community, while anti-vaccination is a community you seek out.
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I think you underestimate the variety of creationists. Even the spectrum of Ken Ham to Dembskinis pretty broad.
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Indeed it is
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