There is no greater threat to human progress than blind conviction.

Humans have goals more important than understanding facts and figures. Above all, humans are motivated to win arguments.

Reasoning works slower than emotion, which, when triggered, can set off a course of motivated skepticism, where rationalization takes the place of reason. According to a report by Charles S. Taber of Stony Brook University, in which the motivated reasoning behind political beliefs were evaluated, biases often lead to a premeditated end, even without understanding of information.

So basically, if I don’t want to believe that the world is getting hotter, I go to extremes to prove that the data arguing for global warming is both wrong and foolish, even if my argument is inaccurate.

This motivated skepticism is the foundation for many skeptics who are unwilling to give up their beliefs and convictions, even if they’re going against science.

The scientific community has provided strong evidence that childhood vaccines are safe and that they are one of the most important and effective means of protecting children. However, many parents are joining the movement against vaccines.

According to research that linked trust in the government and willingness to vaccinate by Ohio State University, those who do not trust the government are significantly less likely to be vaccinated. Nevertheless, many parents who are not willing to have their children vaccinated are blinded by their own misinformed convictions.

One of the biggest arguments against vaccines stems from a now-retracted article that found links between vaccines and autism in children. However, the physician-researcher who led it was stripped of his medical license after being found to have falsified the data.

Since then, the Academy of Pediatrics has released a list of over 40 studies that found no link between vaccines and autism, and getting vaccinated can benefit the “herd immunity,” in which, as more people are vaccinated, viruses are essentially blocked from the “herd,” thereby decreasing the likelihood of the virus infecting more people.

Using personal biases and fears against vaccines to rationalize putting both children’s health and the general public’s safety from infectious diseases at risk is stupid and selfish.

Beyond risking personal and community health by denying advances in medical science, the denial of climate change risks the health of the planet and, therefore, the human race.

The proof is undoubtable: the Earth is rapidly warming. According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) direct surface temperature analysis, the Earth has been warming considerably since 1880.

In addition, according to the Climate Research Unit, warming of the climate is unequivocal and very likely due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.

The scientific community is almost entirely in agreement that climate change is real and is man-made, and while it is no longer reversible, it is stoppable, according to a report in Science Magazine analyzing the nature of climate change.

Just like a doctor choosing to ignore his patient’s vital signs, skeptics are leaving the Earth to die, but unlike the doctor neglecting his patient, the skeptics are going to die with it.

Putting aside personal biases is crucial in the fight against troubles facing humanity, such as viruses and climate change.

Many people mean to perceive the world accurately and are open-minded in the face of scientific proof. However, the progression of humanity is impeded by those who foolishly and selfishly refuse to put aside their misled convictions – even when science says they should.

Billy Jump is an In-Depth Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.