Bill Gates and Vaccines

Ah - I was hoping for a vaccine against Windows ... ah well, have to keep using surgery I guess. MS-ectomy anyone?

Note 1: someone may be great for good or great for evil - or, perhaps, for a laugh. Curiously, people can be all of the above and often at the same time. And on other days it just rains.

Note 2: "Alice and Bob express opinions a and b. Aice has more contributions to charity than Bob. Therefore a is correct." Is this not an ad-hominem?
 
Hmmm ... thinks: Alice and Bob have contributions to charity a and b with a > b. Fro this we may conclude, ceteris paribus, that Alice is nicer than Bob. Bob holds the position that Alice is a nasty person. None of the foregoing can speak to the truth of this position, after all, Bob may be nastier than Alice.
 
Is it possible that Bill Gates money could be used more efficiently to help the world? Sure. I'm even happy to discuss how.
Is he spending his money in a way which is very meaningfully and usefully helping the world? Yes. And for that I have a great deal of respect for him.
 
How come Wakefield still gets the "Dr." honorific? Even from critics.
Wasn't he stripped of his medical license? [/peeve]
 
Puppycow said:
How come Wakefield still gets the "Dr." honorific? Even from critics.
Wasn't he stripped of his medical license? [/peeve]
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Yes, he lost his license, but not his degree. If he wasn't making his money through other means, I would imagine he might be able to obtain a license to practice medicine in some other country.

(At least I think so)
 
!Kaggen said:
Commonly known as the argument from authority.
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What's wrong with that? Surely the best people to decide how the money is spent on global health are the experts?

!Kaggen said:
First off we are talking about Bill Gates's money not "the money".
As I have already stated he can and does spend it on whatever he wants, I have no issues with this.
What I have issues with is the patronizing attitude of Bill Gates and the scientific elite (who receive Bill Gates's money) when they try to justify how they spend it by claiming their cause is scientific and objective. That is nonsense. They are just in a position of power and they are exercising it like any other person would in that position.
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As a recipient of his money I don't see it that way. It's no different than applying for grant money and the best ideas get funded ; I think it's great that there are other means to get the work funded. Moreover, it's not all Gates money, the funds come from other contributors. Gates has managed to get the high earners to contribute half their wealth to such funds.

!Kaggen said:
and

If I had money to give away I would spend it on third world food security.
I don't need to pretend there is an objective/scientific reason for this, its what I think is important.
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Vaccines are important too and save lives.
 
dtugg said:
Do you believe that vaccines prevent disease? If yes, then why are you crying about the supposed lack of objectivity Mr. Gates and his scientists have?

If you don't believe that vaccines prevent disease you are a nutter.
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Your reading comprehension is clouded with dogma.

pg made a claim with no evidence and you back it up with a question and two strawman arguments.

You need to try harder than that.
 
!Kaggen said:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167619.php


http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/childhood_deaths_diarrhoea_20091014/en/index.html


I guess the less glamorous methods don't appeal to Mr Gates sensibilities as they decentralize the responsibility, something all his money comes from avoiding.
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Maybe it's just higher on his priority list as the celebrity-driven nationwide movement to credit handwashing with causing autism. I'm sure he'll get around to it, though.
 
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Capsid said:
!Kaggen said:
Commonly known as the argument from authority.
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What's wrong with that? Surely the best people to decide how the money is spent on global health are the experts?
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If they are making a scientific claim as to how money should be spent on health they need to provide evidence for their argument.

Capsid said:
!Kaggen said:
First off we are talking about Bill Gates's money not "the money".
As I have already stated he can and does spend it on whatever he wants, I have no issues with this.
What I have issues with is the patronizing attitude of Bill Gates and the scientific elite (who receive Bill Gates's money) when they try to justify how they spend it by claiming their cause is scientific and objective. That is nonsense. They are just in a position of power and they are exercising it like any other person would in that position.
Click to expand...
As a recipient of his money I don't see it that way. It's no different than applying for grant money and the best ideas get funded ; I think it's great that there are other means to get the work funded. Moreover, it's not all Gates money, the funds come from other contributors. Gates has managed to get the high earners to contribute half their wealth to such funds.
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Research funding is like any business funding in this respect. It is mostly sales talk with some facts thrown in to make it look legit. And sure the best pitch wins. That's life.
My point is, that it is not a science and don't pretend it is.

Capsid said:
!Kaggen said:
and

If I had money to give away I would spend it on third world food security.
I don't need to pretend there is an objective/scientific reason for this, its what I think is important.
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Vaccines are important too and save lives.
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When did I say the contrary?

However the overwhelming emphasis on them is not constructive.
 
!Kaggen said:
Your reading comprehension is clouded with dogma.

pg made a claim with no evidence and you back it up with a question and two strawman arguments.

You need to try harder than that.
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Why can't you just answer the question. Do vaccines save lives?
 
!Kaggen said:
If they are making a scientific claim as to how money should be spent on health they need to provide evidence for their argument.
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How his money should be spent isn't a scientific claim, it is a judgment call based on the scientific fact that vaccines save lives. Do you agree that this is scientific fact?
 
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