Stephen Law

Philosopher and academic Dr Stephen Law explains how to weigh up the evidence around weird beliefs sceptically without becoming a closed-minded naysayer.

Many people believe in extraordinary hidden beings, including demons, angels, spirits and gods. Plenty also believe in supernatural powers, including faith healing and communication with the dead. Conspiracy theories are also popular, including that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job. And, of course, many trust in alternative medicines such as homeopathy, the effectiveness of which seems to run contrary to our scientific understanding of how the world works.

Such beliefs are widely considered to be at the ‘weird’ end of the spectrum. Most of us really struggle when it comes to assessing such ‘weird’ beliefs. Of course, we have our hunches. But when it comes to pinning down precisely why such beliefs are or aren’t reasonable, even the most intelligent and well educated of us can quickly find ourselves out of our depth. While most would pooh-pooh belief in fairies, Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the quintessentially rational detective Sherlock Holmes, believed in them and wrote a book presenting what he thought was compelling evidence for their existence.

From discs in the sky to faces in toast, Stephen Law explains how to weigh the evidence without becoming a closed-minded naysayer.

Law is a philosopher and academic, author of bestselling introductions to philosophy for adults and children, and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy Journal Think.