Abstract
In 21st-century America, ridiculous beliefs abound and are disseminated widely thanks to the ubiquity of the Internet. Stephen Law, a senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College of the University of London, describes 8 techniques used by smooth-talking proponents to advocate outrageous ideas, each technique being given a separate chapter: Playing the Mystery Card; “But it Fits!” and the Blunderbuss; Going Nuclear; Moving the Semantic Goalposts; “I Just Know!”; Pseudoprofundity; Piling Up the Anecdotes; and Pressing Your Buttons. Understanding the fallacies in arguments will help anyone sort through the cacophony of promulgated information on health and disease to identify that which is bogus, charlatanism, or quackery. Although this book is well written, many readers will be put off by the author’s excessive advocacy of his personal atheism, using as examples of fallacious arguments the comments from religious leaders. Nonetheless, the principles of understanding and refuting deceptive arguments are still valid and important for all health care providers to understand.