Biology And Neuroscience Nurture v. Nature; Somewhat of a False Dichotomy

[TheReasonator]

My view of vaccination: Anyone who spends extended time around other human beings should be required to be vaccinated, barring legitimate medical concerns.

Since basically every job on the planet requires this, as does attending school, it basically boils down to "every member of society should be vaccinated, barring legitimate medical concerns".

So could someone choose to opt out by becoming a hermit? If someone buys a piece of land somewhere remote, grows all their own food, and either makes their own electricity or goes without it should they have to be vaccinated?

The recent resurgence of diseases once entirely under control show that "choice" in this matter is too dangerous to those who don't have a choice--those resistant to the vaccine, or who were unable to get one due to medical concerns. As far as vaccinations go, herd immunity is too important for the public good to leave people a choice in the matter.

So you consider the risk of faulty vaccines to be acceptable?
Do we want the government to be complicit in getting people to put things into their bodies that are toxic? I'm not saying that most vaccines are toxic. Most turn out to be perfectly safe. But is there anything to completely rule out the chance of something toxic in a vaccine getting passed science's radar? Once there is I'll support mandatory vaccinations.

[Yaezakura]

Nothing can ever be "completely ruled out". For instance, there are cases where a person wearing a seat-belt gets in a crash and dies, where without the seat-belt, they very likely could have survived. These things happen. Wearing seat-belts is still mandatory, because the benefits far, far out-weigh any risks.

Besides, you have to look at the kind of people who voluntarily refuse vaccinations: They aren't doing it because a specific vaccination may be unsafe. They refuse all vaccinations, because they're evil tools of government control. So, let's say some vaccination gets through testing with some massive flaw that poisons everyone who takes it. Do we really want to be left with a world that ONLY contains the lunatics who refuse vaccinations?

[TheReasonator]

Nothing can ever be "completely ruled out". For instance, there are cases where a person wearing a seat-belt gets in a crash and dies, where without the seat-belt, they very likely could have survived. These things happen. Wearing seat-belts is still mandatory, because the benefits far, far out-weigh any risks.

Besides, you have to look at the kind of people who voluntarily refuse vaccinations: They aren't doing it because a specific vaccination may be unsafe. They refuse all vaccinations, because they're evil tools of government control. So, let's say some vaccination gets through testing with some massive flaw that poisons everyone who takes it. Do we really want to be left with a world that ONLY contains the lunatics who refuse vaccinations?

To your last question, that's not going to happen.

As to the people who voluntarily refuse vaccinations you characterize them as "they", attributing to them a uniform character. Yes, most of them are like that. Just like most people charged with rape are rapist scumbag. We don't use that as an argument to just skip the trial and go to sentencing, because there are rare exceptions and those people have rights too. The potential for the government forcing people who are just rationally responding to some information they realize but is evading the mainstream at the time to get vaccinated and then hurt themselves is there. Even if there are no such vaccines like this now(though if there were how would we know?) there may be in the future, it's not impossible, not even close to impossible. It is probable, since people make mistakes that at some point, maybe even centuries from now or sooner there will likely be such a vaccine.
However, maybe we could tax people who refuse vaccination or refuse vaccination of their children. This way there is a consequence, but the consequence isn't so bad that if you legitimately realize there is a problem with the vaccine that you would go get it anyways and while time can not be returned money can if the government realizes it made a mistake. Those people who are just conspiracy theorists know it on some level and it will be tempting to keep the money rather than protect their pride and hubris. Those who legitimately realize something is wrong will just pay the tax as most people will choose life and health over money.
Or we could give out tax credits to people who have vaccines. Or both tax credits and tax increases as a sort of carrot-and-stick mechanism.