Vaccine Hesitancy

Public Trust, Expertise, and the War on Science

The public has voiced concern over the adverse effects of vaccines from the moment Dr. Edward Jenner introduced the first smallpox vaccine in 1796. This book explores vaccine hesitancy and refusal among parents in the industrialized North. Although biomedical, public health, and popular science literature has focused on a scientifically ignorant public, the real problem, Goldenberg argues, lies not in misunderstanding, but in mistrust. Goldenberg ultimately reframes vaccine hesitancy as a crisis of public trust rather than a war on science, arguing that having good scientific support of vaccine efficacy and safety is not enough.

About the Author

Maya J. Goldenberg is Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph. She is cross-appointed with the Bachelor of Arts and Science. Her research centers on the philosophy of science and medicine, with interest in the connection between science and values.

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