Scientific Skepticism

The scientific skepticism section of Debunking Denialism feature detailed refutations of pseudoscience and quackery in a diverse selection of areas, including opposition to vaccines, biotech fearmongering, alternative medicine, those that deny that HIV causes AIDS, climate denial, the anti-psychiatry movement and many others. There are also content about miscellaneous topics, general skepticism and a mailbag category responding to viewer questions and criticisms.

For a full list of all articles published in this section, check out the article library.


Debunking Anti-Vaccine

Vaccines have allowed us to saved the lives of millions of people. They are safe and effective and protects against dangerous diseases such as measles and diphtheria. Due to anti-vaccine activists, diseases that were once rare are now coming back and causing outbreaks.

Read all articles debunking anti-vaccine claims.


Debunking Anti-GMO

Modern biotechnology allows us to make small, precise and well-known changes to crops to eliminate toxins, enrich with vitamin precursors, or boost yield. Anti-GMO activists spread propaganda while neglecting climate change, loss of arable land and population growth.

Read all articles debunking anti-GMO claims.


Debunking Creationism

Modern scientific research has demonstrated that all life on earth is related via common descent and that life has changed over time in response to environmental processes. This has provided insights artificial selection, genetic modification, computer science and human disease diagnostics. Creationists reject scientific evidence in favor of religious extremism.

Read all articles debunking creationism.


Debunking Climate Denial

There is a current warming trend and humans are to a large extend the main factors behind it. This has caused and will cause substantial and considerable climate change as well as harm to both human and other animal and plant communities. Climate deniers want to ignore the massive scientific evidence and the scientific consensus due to political or religious ideology.

Read all articles debunking climate denial.


Debunking “Alternative” Medicine

There is no “alternative” medicine, only medicine that has been demonstrated to be safe and effective, and quackery which has not. This includes bleach as a “cure” for autism, astronomically diluted samples without any active ingredient and parents who harm their children because of their irrational anti-medicine beliefs.

Read all articles debunking alternative medicine.


Debunking New Age Woo

New Age Woo abuse difficult scientific fields like quantum mechanics and electromagnetism to spew nonsense. Proponents often try to deceive people by claiming to be able to cast spells, have psychic abilities, remove alleged astral parasites and other pseudoscientific claims.

Read all articles debunking new age woo.


Debunking Anti-Psychiatry

Anti-psychiatry is a pseudoscience built on the denial of the existence of mental illness (or downplaying their severity), rejection of effective treatments for psychiatric conditions and very antagonistic views of psychiatrists. In those respects, anti-psychiatry is roughly analogous to the anti-vaccine and anti-GMO movements and use the same deceptive tricks.

Read all articles debunking anti-psychiatry.


Debunking HIV/AIDS Denialism

HIV/AIDS is one of the most well-studied relationships between any pathogen and its disease. HIV is a real virus that causes AIDS. HIV/AIDS denialism spreads dangerous misinformation that kills people.

Read all articles debunking HIV/AIDS denialism.


Debunking Misuse of Statistics


Deceptive use of statistics is everywhere, from the stock market and low quality scientific papers to quacks trying to sell you worthless potions online. Understanding appropriate use of statistics and being critical consumers of statistics of published scientific papers are increasingly important.

Read all articles debunking misuse of statistics.


Debunking Race Pseudoscience


For some people, it is not enough to hold factually false stereotypes and discriminatory beliefs about ethnic minorities. Instead, they create elaborate and convoluted pseudoscientific constructs in an attempt to justify their irrational bigotry.

Read all articles debunking race pseudoscience.


Debunking Genocide Denial

Genocide is one of the worst possible crimes against humanity. Despite the overwhelming evidence, there are many different groups with very different political ideologies out there that deny the historical facts for different genocides. They are wrong.

Read all articles debunking genocide denial.


Debunking Natural Birth Nonsense

In a perfect storm of privilege and pseudoscience, proponents of natural birth insist that it is safer to give birth in the wilderness of Alaska or in a snowstorm than at a hospital. They make appeals to nature, misuse statistics and even try to hide or downplay the death rates of homebirth.

Read all articles debunking natural birth nonsense.


Debunking Bad Science Journalism

Some journalists care more about getting views than accurately describing scientific research. By sensationalizing preliminary scientific findings, offering false balance between science and quackery and writing clickbait headlines, they often botch scientific facts and downplay limitations of published research.

Read all articles debunking bad science journalism.


Miscellaneous

Skeptical analysis on topics that do not fit into any other category, such as cryptozoology, chemtrails, science in the courtroom and so on.

Read all miscellaneous articles.


Skepticism

Skepticism is an approach to questionable claims that relies on reason and scientific evidence. Skepticism focuses on things like science, reason, critical thinking, freethought, and consumer protection. Asking for evidence, but accepting good evidence.

Read all skepticism articles.


Mailbag

The mailbag series features response to reader questions, arguments and objections on all subjects covered by Debunking Denialism.

Read all mailbag articles.


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