A common and very dangerous misconception often seen on the Internet is the idea that a childhood immunization, the MMR vaccine, causes autism. This is completely false, but began when a man published a falsified and now discredited paper making that claim. He was later found to have received money from lawyers representing parents of children with autism who wanted to sue the vaccine companies. Which criterion of critical thinking is most clearly being violated by those who accepted the false claim?
A) All evidence is not equal in quality.
B) Authority or claimed expertise does not make something true.
C) Very few "truths" do not need to be tested.
D) Keep an open mind.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The criterion most clearly being violated is that all evidence is not equal in quality. The false claim about the MMR vaccine was based on a discredited study, highlighting the importance of evaluating the quality of evidence.

A Common and Very Dangerous Misconception Often Seen on the Internet