Written by P.A.

You have a decision to make. It’s a big one. How do you decide? If you’re like most Americans you rely on others to tell you what to do. Whether it’s your parents, friends, spouse, religious leader, political party or your doctor, people tend to rely on those relationships to help make critical decisions in life without much consideration beyond a shallow examination of the facts. In many cases, no examination of facts at all; just an adherence to a particular set of thought processes instilled long ago…ideologies.

Like most things in life, however, the devil is in the details. Take the current “vaccination controversy” for example. If asked about it, you would likely find yourself “taking a side.” Either you are pro-vaccine or, what shamers like to say, an anti-vaxxer. It is at the very moment of the question you are being fooled into what is commonly known as a “false dichotomy” defined as “a logical fallacy which involves presenting two opposing views in such a way that they seem to be the only possibilities: that is, if one is true, the other must be false, or, more typically, if you do not accept one then the other must be accepted.”

The “vaccine debate” is a perfect example of this kind of thought process which invariably leads to irrational thoughts and behavior. So much so that some people advocate forced inoculations or even prison for parents who refuse to vaccinate. The dangers of lack of critical thought are pervasive in this country, indeed the world. Look at the left/right paradigm in politics for example. If you’re reading this now, you’re likely to feel strongly about Democrats or Republicans in one way or another. It is this false dichotomy that continues to plague our political system by design. Or abortion, another highly contested false dichotomy that leads to highly passionate black and white thinking.

Picking a side without carefully considering as many facts as one can is the precise reason people find themselves confident in their views, while at the same time, showing dismay – or even anger and violence – towards others holding an equally passionate opposing view. This leads to another very dangerous way of thinking: confirmation bias – a tendency for people to only look at evidence that helps support their already strongly held belief, while dismissing opposing evidence outright.

False dichotomies and confirmation bias go hand-in-hand. It’s very hard to have one without the other, yet both are as common as just about any sociological phenomenon as there is. The reason for this, I contend, is because like most things in life, people generally follow the path of least resistance. They generally will choose the easier way, especially if it aligns with their instilled beliefs. The other reason is people generally don’t like to make waves, especially within their own circle or risk being ostracized – a powerful motivator indeed.

However, making waves, so-to-speak, is perfectly fine from a group point of view, which invariable leads to horrible and violent behavior like witch hunts and other forms of group think or mob mentality whereby individuals feel emboldened, especially when part of a righteous majority. So goes fans of sports teams from different cities or people from different states (or even different areas within a state) or especially the incredibly destructive phenomenon known as nationalism, whereby the random place of your birth inherently means you are better than another person born across a border.

Going back to the vaccine debate for a moment; by using the above framework to help pave the way for more complete consideration of this subject, consider this: One can be an advocate of vaccines (of which there are many) and still be very cautious and careful with the “when and what” is being introduced into your body (or your child’s body). Conversely, one can be opposed to using vaccines and still believe they can and do help contain contagious diseases.

The fact is, vaccines can and do work. The fact is, vaccines can and do cause injury. The fact is, vaccines are not created equal. The fact is, not all diseases possibly prevented by vaccines are life threatening or even more than a short sickness. The fact is, considering and weighing these facts about each and every vaccine for each and every potential disease it may or may not help prevent is the critical component lacking in the hysteria that currently surrounds this debate, as well as others.

At the very least, I hope people find the strength to understand that their closely held belief is very likely leading them down a dark path. Back a mile, when you saw that split in the road, you failed to read the sign: Beware of false dichotomies.

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