The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ann Druyan, Carl SaganEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-02-25
ISBN: 0345409469
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
Book Review: Excellent Background on an Important Topic!
Summary: 5 Stars
Carl Sagan's focus in this book is the large amount of pseudo-science within the U.S., and the danger that it will grow as the amount of manufacturing (heavily fact-driven) decreases as we move towards a service-driven (largely based on baloney - eg. financial and marketing misrepresentations) economy.
He points out that spurious accounts that snare the gullible are readily available, while skeptical treatments are much harder to find. Pseudo-science purports to use the methods and findings of science, but ignore choices pointing the other way. It is easier to contrive than science because distracting confrontations with reality are avoided. It appeals to fantasies about personal power we lack. In some manifestations it promises that death is not the end, that educators can work wonders.
Science is more than a body of knowledge - it is also a way of thinking.
There isn't a religion in the world with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science. There are no forbidden questions in science, no sacred truths.
Each field of science has its own pseudo-science beliefs. For example, economists have long-range forecasting.
Most of Sagan's book is taken up with examples of prior pseudo-science beliefs - eg. witches, fairies, etc., as well as a good summary of common logic errors.
Summary of The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
"A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought."?*Los Angeles Times
"POWERFUL . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing."
?*The Washington Post Book World
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.
"COMPELLING."
?*USA Today
"A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity."
?*The Sciences
"PASSIONATE."
?*San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle
Carl Sagan muses on the current state of scientific thought, which offers him marvelous opportunities to entertain us with his own childhood experiences, the newspaper morgues, UFO stories, and the assorted flotsam and jetsam of pseudoscience. Along the way he debunks alien abduction, faith-healing, and channeling; refutes the arguments that science destroys spirituality, and provides a "baloney detection kit" for thinking through political, social, religious, and other issues.
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