The most basic real debate, E, is: Do we need vaccines at all? I suggest that’s a taboo question right now, since at this time they have a mantle of holy, unquestionable truth wrapped about them (purely by societal-indoctrination propaganda, and for, at best, pretty damned shabby motivations in the propagandists): this is a sacred truth, which we must never even think of questioning.
I would start from the position that proponents of vaccines must first demonstrate - with watertight and massive evidence - that we do really need them; that there is NO alternative approach to maintaining general health to the same level of universal excellence; that vaccines work reliably, and entirely innocently, and take us to states of general populace health that no other approach can hope to better.
Seems to me that that’s a simply unattainable ideal. Meanwhile, using that same absolute right of freedom to choose, I’d say that I, numerous like-minded friends, and the children and other animals whom we’ve reared, have all demonstrated that vigorous health and longevity - even in today’s polluted and stress-flooded society - is still attainable without the need for any truck with vaccines. No need to presume to gild an already pretty good, long-evolved, natural lily!
It would be necessary, too, to clear away another sacred myth of our time: that life in previous, pre-hitech eras was - inevitably - a good deal nastier, more brutish, and short than it is now, in matters of routinely-experienced health. We are all indoctrinated to believe that trope without a hint of doubt. But I do doubt it. I think we’re all fed a paper-thin, hyper-sketchy idea of what health was really like in those times; rather in the same way that so many of we Westerners believe with limpid confidence that we ‘know for sure’ all sorts of things about China when in fact we really know almost nothing with any genuine confidence, and for the same wholly untrustworthy propaganda/indoctrination reasons.
The same level-playing-field criteria would have to apply for those times as for this present one. In particular: that comparable populations should have comparable general conditions of life to promote reliable health and life-long vigour. Despite our indoctrination, I doubt that, given those provisos, health really was so much worse in former pre-vax, pre-techie times. It’s for the vaccine-faithful to prove “beyond reasonable doubt”. And I don’t believe they can. Meanwhile, my advice is always the same: ‘Vaccines? No thanks! No need! Eat right, live right, and don’t fret! Oh - and take care to have sturdy-peasant ancestors…’