Holism can fail in three major ways. It can be over-inclusive, i.e., contain elements that should have no place in an overarching account of its subject matter. It can be incomplete, i.e., fail to contain important elements that should have been included. It can also be dogmatic, i.e., unable to revise in response to new circumstances or insights. These three errors are illustrated with examples including the Gaia construct, anthroposophical medicine with its anti-vaccinationism, iridology, and homeopathy. It is argued that legitimate holism should avoid these mistakes and that it also has to be pluralistic in the sense of recognizing that there can be more than one useful overarching perspective on a topic.