Live Science has a story about vaccine hysteria. Specifically, it speaks of the now refuted link between childhood vaccines and autism.
No one wants to tell a parent of an autistic child that the cause is unknown.
People, are always seeking certainty and in the absence of an explanation, they will find one and place all their faith in it being correct--regardless of whether its true of not.
This whole mess underscores for me the need to teach science. Real science advocates the provisionality of our knowledge. Science also teaches that we don't have all the answers.
Unfortunately, a parent with an autistic child doesn't want to hear that. They want an explanation. They also want an explanation that lets them off the hook somehow.
The vaccine-autism explanation does both, even though it's incorrect.
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