Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health Why Have Vaccines Become a Religion
Dec 12, 2025
Delve into the strong cultural ties surrounding vaccination as a symbol of medical authority. Explore how cognitive bias and scientism create a resistance to questioning vaccine safety. Discover the historical context of medical dissent and the challenges of proving adverse effects due to biased research practices. The discussion highlights the impact of COVID-19 on public perception and calls for greater transparency in vaccine data. The podcast serves as a rallying cry for scrutinizing health dogmas and challenging accepted beliefs.
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Medicine's Prestige Shapes Vaccine Debate
- Medicine built cultural authority by linking technological success to moral superiority.
- Vaccines became a visible symbol of that authority, so questioning them threatens the established hierarchy.
Cognitive Biases Lock In Beliefs
- Cognitive shortcuts and the Dunning-Kruger effect make practitioners cling to simple rules.
- Challenging those rules produces defensive responses rather than careful reassessment.
When Science Becomes A Faith
- Science can function like a belief system when it polices dissent instead of inviting scrutiny.
- That 'scientism' elevates doctors to priest-like roles and makes vaccines feel like ritualized rites.
