Anti-vax: why do we believe medical conspiracies?

US teenager Ethan Lindenberger has been speaking out against his mother who refused to vaccinate him as a child. Why has the anti-vax movement captured the imagination of so many people despite being detrimental to public health? Whether it’s spreading bad information on social media or seeing dark conspiracies, Joseph Stubbersfield a Cognitive Anthropologist at Durham University and Bob Blaskiewiccz, Professor of Critical Thinking at Stockton Uni explain how bad ideas can thrive. Plus, Dr. Jen Gunter explains how we can all fall into conspiracy traps set by celebrity doctors and ‘alternative’ science.Producers: Seren Jones, Lucy Hancock, Jaja Muhammad. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields.

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Beyond Today is the daily podcast from Radio 4 that asks one big question about one big story in the news - and beyond. Tina Daheley, Matthew Price, and a team of curious producers search for answers that change the way we see the world. They speak to the BBC’s unrivalled global network of reporters, plus occasional special guests, to tell stories about identity, technology, and power - where it lies and how that is changing.