The Demon-haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark

Do you like to question things? Well you should like this book. There are two keys aspects to this book: 1. A detailed analysis of unsubstantiated beliefs 2. An exploration of critical thinking 1. Sagan describes all sorts of unusual beliefs such as demons and witches which were once held with absolute certitude by the masses. He details outrageous claims of alien abductions and all sorts of unusual apparitions. This is all sprinkled with all sorts of interesting facts and anecdotes. Whether it's the story of innocent people being found guilty for child abuse by using confession under hypnosis as evidence or the fact that there have been over a million UFO sightings since 1947, the reader is kept in engaged along the way. Inevitably Religion gets a mention. Sagan points out how scripture was used to justify some inhuman activities such slavery and racism However Sagan is fair here. He points out that mainstream Religions accepts mainstream Science, such as Darwinian evolution and it is really only the fundamentalists who cannot deal with Scientific findings. He also describes the story of the Jesuit priest, Friedrich von Spee, who turned whistle blower, detailing the abject fallacy and idiocy of witchcraft trials. 2. Of course no book on critical thinking would be complete without a discussion on what constitutes critical thinking. Sagan is is succinct in his explanations. He details scientific and evidence based methodologies. He explains various logical fallacies which consistently make humans think something is true when it is actually not. Sagan is not also to afraid to point out the imperfections of Science. He discusses the tentative nature of Science and he questions of some of bad aspects that have manifested from a usage of it. Atomic and Hydrogen bombs, two obvious examples. Sagan explores the inescapable reality that Science has failed to capture the masses. Why is it only 75% of American don't know antibiotics kill bacteria not viruses? He explores some of the reasons for this as well as different ways of teaching Science and critical thinking. He is only too gracious and bashful to recommend everyone should read this book, but I would have no problem doing that!

Great man. Great book. Let's get the minor criticisms out of the way first. Carl can ramble slightly at times. His points are valid and thought provoking. However, I felt that a little editing was required. That aside...wonderful. Clear, balanced, unbiased and honest. He takes a look at all the key areas of science - from his own interest as a child to a closing chapter on how the essential promotion of the critical thinking protects us from fundementalists, crackpots, psuedoscience, political manipulators and those who profit from obscuring the truth. His tone isn't hectoring and less likely to discourage some. My favourite moment (and one I've re-read) is the chapter 'Obsessed with Reality' in which he takes a look how media can be fooled - and therefore fool us - with unsubstantiated claims. He tells the story of how the great Randi fools the Australian press with 'Carlos' - a kind of channeling version of Chopra/Tolle - which should act as a warning to all and is also (I found at least!) quite funny. Worth publishing in every school is his 'baloney detection kit'. It might help us spot some of our errors and not be taken in by some of the less honest, sincere or otherwise, in our society. Thank-you Carl. You're sorely missed.

This book sets out why we should all be sceptical of almost any claim, whether from authority or not, but not to let our scepticism drown out our wonder of the natural world. A healthy balance of the two is needed to ensure that, on the one hand we don't become gullible fools, credulous of everything without thinking, but on the other hand, don't become bitter old sceptics who won't take a risk and look into matters personally. I have to say, Carl Sagan does a great job of ensuring nobody is condescended or humiliated in his critique of common "baloney" (alien abductions seem to be his main gripe throughout the book), and tries to convey real world reasons why "baloney" may nestle in the minds of the afflicted. The book is mainly geared towards encouraging the reader to critically think about everthing they see, hear and touch and logically work out what is and isn't true - and to question everything. This book should be given to teenagers and young adults for free, so that they can use the tools described to help them understand the pressures they face in making sense of competing claims, and understanding that only evidence and critical thinking should be used to determine the truth of most claims. Mr Sagan's "baloney detection kit" is essential in this day and age...

I love Carl Sagan and everything about him. I have watched Cosmos multiple times over and find it so stirring I am almost moved to tears at points. So I am writing this as a Sagan fan. This book contains lots of great Sagan stuff: an evenhanded look at the issues, nice literary quotes, optimism, sceptism, imagination, a defence of science, a love of humanity, humility, well-referenced, and respectful treatment of those who (earnestly) buy into, pursue or promote things we know are false. (Not so, for those who know they are false but use their credulity of earnest believers to line their own pockets or increase their power.) However, I quickly realised that a lot of Sagan's appeal is his personality and voice. Reading this was almost a let down after watching dozens of his videos on Youtube. Not because the book is bad -- it isn't -- but because his in-person delivery is so good. I found the same thing after watching a ton of Richard Feynman videos and then switching to his books: when you subtract the voice, the smile, the laughter, the comedic timing, the dramatic pauses etc. then, I found, a great deal of the enjoyment was lost. All to say: manage your expectations and you'll be fine, or read this before watching Cosmos! The aim, content and execution of the book is good: almost all human beings are trying to figure out meaning in their lives, connect with nature, and be captains of their own destiny -- it is simply that not all ways of doing this are equally true or successful. The book looks at why, and at why false or ineffective ways of doing this are so persistent, from a sympathetic point of view that we all deserve to have both the emotional consolations and everyday relevance of things like religion and astrology, but without turning away from the fascinating and effective truths of science and technology.

If you don't read this you're missing out. But you might need to interested in the concept that we don't know everything - and that's ok. Long, but dippable into.

Carl Sagan - genius

I think this is a 'must read' book ,Carl Sagan was a brilliant cosmologist and polymath . This is not necessary about science what we know about the world and the universe or chemistry , physics and biology, but about the objective way in which scientist think and how they come to their conclusions through experiment and reasoning and how this method of thought can be used in more or less any aspect which we encounter . We live in a world where people believe all sorts of strange and fantastical things from crystal healing , ufo's ,mediums, astrology, reflexology ,ghosts you name it people will believe it, where there is absolutely no scientific evidence to believe it, in a time when government money is limited on scientific research perhaps money donated any number of worthy scientific causes , would be more efficacious than having our palms read or our future predicted by a charlatan . A very liberating piece of literature . Science is important it cures illness , it improves the quality of our lives we all need to make the effort to take a bit of interest .

It took me a while to finish this but I'm glad I did. The author writes in an engaging style. It could be a fairly dry subject but he tries to keep it entertaining. He starts off by talking about alien abduction stories - whether we should take them seriously, why people believe them, how we could get to the bottom of what's actually going on. He then moves on gradually to scientific illiteracy in the USA (scary) and briefly discusses the bad uses science has been put to, such as the atom bomb. However the main theme of the book is scepticism and how it is a useful tool to combat deluded beliefs.