The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
20 journalers for this copy...
This is a truly exemplary book, one of the best I've read. From the back cover:
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology driven lives, if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience, New Age thinking, and fundamentalist zealotry and the testable hypotheses for science?
Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies as witchcraft, faith healings, 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. 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.
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology driven lives, if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience, New Age thinking, and fundamentalist zealotry and the testable hypotheses for science?
Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies as witchcraft, faith healings, 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. 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.
Journal Entry 2 by PokPok at Controlled Release in Controlled Release, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, June 26, 2005
Released 18 yrs ago (6/27/2005 UTC) at Controlled Release in Controlled Release, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Sending this one out for perpetual bookray.
Participants list:
ds3233
labmomnm
glade1
sqdancer
benjymouse
hopknot
pashmack
alanfoxboro
legbamel
llednyl
cosmicflurk
hak42
bookworm-lady (Spain, prefers Europe shipping)
RonOren (UK, prefers Europe shipping)
InvisibleAng
BellaMack
rockdg9
miketroll
vvilliam
pazyryk
pitluv4
Sending this one out for perpetual bookray.
Participants list:
ds3233
labmomnm
glade1
sqdancer
benjymouse
hopknot
pashmack
alanfoxboro
legbamel
llednyl
cosmicflurk
hak42
bookworm-lady (Spain, prefers Europe shipping)
RonOren (UK, prefers Europe shipping)
InvisibleAng
BellaMack
rockdg9
miketroll
vvilliam
pazyryk
pitluv4
Received in the mail from PokPok. Looks wonderful. Thanks.
Great book. Sagan at his most endearing. Clear and precise expositions about pseudo-science and hookum. I wish everyone would read this.
Released 18 yrs ago (7/15/2005 UTC) at
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Sent to labmomnm in Albuquerque.
Sent to labmomnm in Albuquerque.
Arrived in yesterday's mail; thanks! I have 1 ring ahead of this but should get to them both quickly.
14 August '05 - I really enjoyed this, Sagan's approach to pseudoscience was always incredible. I'd never heard the Australian story before - what a riot! And the story of the "homemade" science museum was very inspiring; I find it hard to believe that a university town didn't already have a kid's science museum...I'm so used to them being around that I sort of thought they were standard issue.
Mailed yesterday to glade1
14 August '05 - I really enjoyed this, Sagan's approach to pseudoscience was always incredible. I'd never heard the Australian story before - what a riot! And the story of the "homemade" science museum was very inspiring; I find it hard to believe that a university town didn't already have a kid's science museum...I'm so used to them being around that I sort of thought they were standard issue.
Mailed yesterday to glade1
Received in the mail today. More later...
Finally finished this one. It was engrossing but I did not find it to be a fast or easy read. Sagan is a very lucid writer and makes a strong case for the popularization of science. I found myself cringing when he got "too close" to certain matters of spirituality (Is there such thing as a soul? Is there a Creator? etc.) but he did a good job of walking the fine line between science and spirit and in the end did not really say anything that I found contrary to my Christian beliefs. (I cringed even more at the descriptions of the horrid things that have been done by religious institutions!)
A couple of quotes I especially liked:
Keeping an open mind is a virtue--but, as the space engineer James Oberg once said, not so open that your brains fall out. (p. 187)
Children with special abilities and skills need to be nourished and encouraged. They are a national treasure. Challenging programs for the "gifted" are sometimes decried as "elitism." Why aren't intensive practice sessions for varsity football, baseball, and basketball players and interschool competition deemed elitism? After all, only the most gifted athletes participate. There is a self-defeating double-standard at work here, nationwide. (page 345)
Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the point of view of others, and not just those in power; to contemplate--with the best teachers--the insights, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, drawn from the entire planet and from all of our history. They allow people long dead to talk inside our heads. Books can accompany us everywhere. Books are patient when we are slow to understand, allow us to go over the hard parts as many times as we wish, and are never critical of our lapses. Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society. (page 357)
And a quote that easily applies to modern life as well as the age of Thomas Jefferson, to whom this tidbit is attributed: A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither. (page 431)
As with a number of other bookring books I have read, this is yet another title I would never have picked up on my own without Bookcrossing. I am thankful I found this community so I could learn and grow through books like this one. Thanks a bunch, PokPok, for sharing it.
I have PMed alanfoxboro for an address and will move this along as soon as I can.
A couple of quotes I especially liked:
Keeping an open mind is a virtue--but, as the space engineer James Oberg once said, not so open that your brains fall out. (p. 187)
Children with special abilities and skills need to be nourished and encouraged. They are a national treasure. Challenging programs for the "gifted" are sometimes decried as "elitism." Why aren't intensive practice sessions for varsity football, baseball, and basketball players and interschool competition deemed elitism? After all, only the most gifted athletes participate. There is a self-defeating double-standard at work here, nationwide. (page 345)
Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the point of view of others, and not just those in power; to contemplate--with the best teachers--the insights, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, drawn from the entire planet and from all of our history. They allow people long dead to talk inside our heads. Books can accompany us everywhere. Books are patient when we are slow to understand, allow us to go over the hard parts as many times as we wish, and are never critical of our lapses. Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society. (page 357)
And a quote that easily applies to modern life as well as the age of Thomas Jefferson, to whom this tidbit is attributed: A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither. (page 431)
As with a number of other bookring books I have read, this is yet another title I would never have picked up on my own without Bookcrossing. I am thankful I found this community so I could learn and grow through books like this one. Thanks a bunch, PokPok, for sharing it.
I have PMed alanfoxboro for an address and will move this along as soon as I can.
I received this book in the mail today. Thanks to PokPok for the bookring. I will read it and post a review ASAP.
Update:
I still have several books to read ahead of this one, so I am going to send it along to sqdancer. Maybe it can come back to me later on.
Update:
I still have several books to read ahead of this one, so I am going to send it along to sqdancer. Maybe it can come back to me later on.
Arrived safe and sound. Looks interesting.
Excellent book! - I think I will be getting my sister a copy for her birthday.
Sent off to New Zealand today via Air Mail (ouch, the postal rates went up more than I thought!)
Arrived today. Looking forward to this one. Thanks sqdancer.
I have to say, that even for someone with a degree in science, this is not the easiest book to read. As a biology major, I tended to glaze over when he described the physics of electricity, magnetism and light. That said, it is a very worthwhile book, and I'm glad I finished it.
This book was published in 1996, but the points that Sagan made then are just as relevant today, and will continue to be relevant.
He discusses the decreasing literacy and woefully inadequate scientific education in America, the prevalent attitude among kids that learning is not 'cool', and most especially, that children are being taught not to ask questions. I can tell you from experience that this is not only happening in America.
As a person trained in science, reason, logic and scepticism, my BS detector tends to activate rapidly when people start discussing astrology, fung shui, crystals, and things that I personally regard as "new age nonsense". I'm also a liberal, so I tend to say nothing, because everyone has the right to believe as they wish. This book makes me think that maybe I should be a more active and vocal sceptic. Personally I find this idea quite challenging. It is something I need to work on.
I am also now convinced that we need good scientific role models, to popularise science. In this regard, Carl Sagan himself is sadly missed.
Thanks PokPok for sharing this. It's been educational. :)
Mailing to HopKnot this morning.
This book was published in 1996, but the points that Sagan made then are just as relevant today, and will continue to be relevant.
He discusses the decreasing literacy and woefully inadequate scientific education in America, the prevalent attitude among kids that learning is not 'cool', and most especially, that children are being taught not to ask questions. I can tell you from experience that this is not only happening in America.
As a person trained in science, reason, logic and scepticism, my BS detector tends to activate rapidly when people start discussing astrology, fung shui, crystals, and things that I personally regard as "new age nonsense". I'm also a liberal, so I tend to say nothing, because everyone has the right to believe as they wish. This book makes me think that maybe I should be a more active and vocal sceptic. Personally I find this idea quite challenging. It is something I need to work on.
I am also now convinced that we need good scientific role models, to popularise science. In this regard, Carl Sagan himself is sadly missed.
Thanks PokPok for sharing this. It's been educational. :)
Mailing to HopKnot this morning.
I received this in the mail today. From everyone's reviews this sounds interesting. I will start it as soon as I finish my current read.
I thought I would like this, but I just couldn't get into. I read the first hundred or so pages and can't get myself to continue. Maybe its just bad timing because from reading the comments above I was definitely intrigued. I don't want to hold up the ray while I see if I can get into so I will PMing the next person to send it on.
Thanks for including me.
Thanks for including me.
Sorry for got to log this. This was sent to pashmack on April 10.
The book, along with two lovely postcards, arrived in today's mail. Thank you, HopKnot, for sending it my way, and thank you PokPok for sharing your book. I'll get started on it this evening.
I used to enjoy the articles Carl Sagan wrote for Parade Magazine, and was so looking forward to reading this book. I certainly was not disappointed. It was such an interesting and enjoyable read (but, I did grow a bit weary of the alien abduction stuff). There is a lot of wisdom in this book. I found myself jotting down several quotes that were particularly meaningful, even ten years after the book was first published:
"We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements - transportation, communications, and all other industries; agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment; and even the key democratic institution of voting - profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is prescription for disaster." (p. 26)
"...at the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes - an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive, and the most ruthlessly skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense." (p. 304)
"Bright, curious children are a national and world resource. They need to be cared for, cherished, and encouraged. But mere encouragement isn't enough. We must also give them the essential tools to think with. " (p. 323)
I love the idea of the "baloney detection kit." Too bad more people don't use one!
Thanks, PokPok for sharing this book. It will be off in the mail to alanfoxboro on Monday morning.
"We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements - transportation, communications, and all other industries; agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment; and even the key democratic institution of voting - profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is prescription for disaster." (p. 26)
"...at the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes - an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive, and the most ruthlessly skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense." (p. 304)
"Bright, curious children are a national and world resource. They need to be cared for, cherished, and encouraged. But mere encouragement isn't enough. We must also give them the essential tools to think with. " (p. 323)
I love the idea of the "baloney detection kit." Too bad more people don't use one!
Thanks, PokPok for sharing this book. It will be off in the mail to alanfoxboro on Monday morning.
I have received this book again. Thanks for sending it back around to me. I will get to it soon.
The Demon-Haunted World is a great book. Sagan stresses the importance of skepticism, a quality lacking in if not totally absent from the intellects of many Americans. Most people want to believe anything fantastic that they are told, and Sagan explains how dangerous and destructive this blind faith can be. This book should be read by anyone and everyone who takes the future of our planet and species seriously.
Thanks to PokPok for the bookring. I have PM'd legbamel and am waiting for an address to send this book on.
Thanks to PokPok for the bookring. I have PM'd legbamel and am waiting for an address to send this book on.
I've just started this one (it came in the mail yesterday) and I can't wait to get past the defense of science and into the actual technical parts. It seems to me that he's preaching to the choir in the preface and the first chapter, but perhaps that's because I agree with him. [grin] But I can't wait to learn from him - I remember watching him on PBS when I was much younger and his style was very easy-going so I have high hopes that I will find the book just as fascinating. Thanks so much for including me in the ring!
UPDATE: 8/16/06 - I finished this a couple of days and and have PMed for an address to send it on. It turns out that the whole book is a defense of science and a plea for people to use logic in their every-day lives. I agree with most of what he wrote, but I was more expecting a book refuting alien abductions and psychic phenomenon by explaining scientific ideas and principles and not by a defense of the scientific method in general. I enjoyed it, though. It was well-written and a good primer for the principles of logic. I'll try to get it out in the next couple of days. Thanks for sharing! Edit 8/21/06 - I got llendyl's address today so I'll have it out in mail tomorrow. Hooray!
UPDATE: 8/16/06 - I finished this a couple of days and and have PMed for an address to send it on. It turns out that the whole book is a defense of science and a plea for people to use logic in their every-day lives. I agree with most of what he wrote, but I was more expecting a book refuting alien abductions and psychic phenomenon by explaining scientific ideas and principles and not by a defense of the scientific method in general. I enjoyed it, though. It was well-written and a good primer for the principles of logic. I'll try to get it out in the next couple of days. Thanks for sharing! Edit 8/21/06 - I got llendyl's address today so I'll have it out in mail tomorrow. Hooray!
Journal Entry 22 by legbamel at mail in By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Released 17 yrs ago (8/22/2006 UTC) at mail in By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
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I sent this one first class so it should be showing up at its newest destination in Virginia shortly. Enjoy!
I sent this one first class so it should be showing up at its newest destination in Virginia shortly. Enjoy!
Received this morning! I am a fan of Sagan's Cosmos series, and have really been looking forward to reading this book.
Sent the book off today. Sorry it took so long! Unfortunately, I didn't have time to finish it because school has kept me busy, but I'm glad to have gotten the chance to read what I did. Hopefully I'll be able to read the whole thing sometime soon.
This book arrived today. I will start reading it once I finish Bait and Switch.
Although nothing in the book was all that much of a revelation to me, I did agree with almost all of Sagan's points. Here are a couple of memorable quotes.
Page 306: Both skepticism and wonder are skills that need honing and practice. Their harmonious marriage... ought to be a principal goal of public education. I'd love to see such... portrayed in the media, television especially: a community of people really working the mix-- full of wonder, generously open to every notion, dismissing nothing except for good reason, but at the same time, and as second nature, demanding stringent standards of evidence-- and these standards applied with at least as much rigor to what they hold dear as to what they are tempted to reject with impunity.
I think Sagan would be happy to know that there is a show something like he described, called Mythbusters. Although they in general steer away from paranormal myths, they do set a good example in thinking critically about folk wisdom, but are still occasionally surprised at their own conclusions, which they occasionally revisit and occasionally reverse. All in good science, of course.
Now, there is also a somewhat similar show that investigates alleged hauntings. I was reminded of that group when Sagan was discussing one aspect of UFOs, in that often the only evidence of contact is in the mind of the contactee. How is claiming one saw an apparition different from claiming one saw a mysterious light in the sky? How is claiming to have felt a chill touch different from claiming one was probed? All could easily be fantasy.
Page 241: All of us long for a competent, uncorrupt, charismatic leader. We will leap for the opportunity to support, to believe, to feel good. Most reporters, editors, and producers-- swept up with the rest of us-- will shy away from real skeptical scrutiny. He won't be selling you prayers or crystals or tears. Perhaps he'll be selling you a war, or a scapegoat...
Or both... :-(
Now on its way to hak42.
Page 306: Both skepticism and wonder are skills that need honing and practice. Their harmonious marriage... ought to be a principal goal of public education. I'd love to see such... portrayed in the media, television especially: a community of people really working the mix-- full of wonder, generously open to every notion, dismissing nothing except for good reason, but at the same time, and as second nature, demanding stringent standards of evidence-- and these standards applied with at least as much rigor to what they hold dear as to what they are tempted to reject with impunity.
I think Sagan would be happy to know that there is a show something like he described, called Mythbusters. Although they in general steer away from paranormal myths, they do set a good example in thinking critically about folk wisdom, but are still occasionally surprised at their own conclusions, which they occasionally revisit and occasionally reverse. All in good science, of course.
Now, there is also a somewhat similar show that investigates alleged hauntings. I was reminded of that group when Sagan was discussing one aspect of UFOs, in that often the only evidence of contact is in the mind of the contactee. How is claiming one saw an apparition different from claiming one saw a mysterious light in the sky? How is claiming to have felt a chill touch different from claiming one was probed? All could easily be fantasy.
Page 241: All of us long for a competent, uncorrupt, charismatic leader. We will leap for the opportunity to support, to believe, to feel good. Most reporters, editors, and producers-- swept up with the rest of us-- will shy away from real skeptical scrutiny. He won't be selling you prayers or crystals or tears. Perhaps he'll be selling you a war, or a scapegoat...
Or both... :-(
Now on its way to hak42.
Received today. I've got a couple ahead of it, but I'll try to get it read soon.
Finally got a chance to read this! Sorry it took me so long to get to it.
This is an excellent book. Carl Sagan makes some excellent points in it and I found myself writing down quotes as I was reading it that still apply ten years later. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of our education system, science and religion.
I'll be sending this off today
This is an excellent book. Carl Sagan makes some excellent points in it and I found myself writing down quotes as I was reading it that still apply ten years later. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of our education system, science and religion.
I'll be sending this off today
This book was waiting for me when I returned from holidays!
It seems very interesting; looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for sharing!
It seems very interesting; looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for sharing!
A very well-written book; though the first chapters are far more interesting than the final ones. (There is a whole section of "Maxwell and the Nerds" which was beyond my grasp, I had to skip it.)Mr. Sagan had the gift to explain things in such a way as to make you feel intelligent... I have been a great fan since I watched "Cosmos" on TV in my university days.
I don't agree on his views about God and religion, mind you...
A quote from "The Path to Freedom":
"Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the point of view of others, and not just those in power; to contemplate, with the best teachers, the insights, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever where, drawn from the entire planet and from all of our history. They allow people long dead to talk inside our heads. Books can accompany us everywhere. Books are patients when we are slow to understand, allow us to go over the hard parts as many times as we wish, and are never critical of our lapses. Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society."
Brilliant, isn't it?
I have RonOren's address, and will be sending it to him soon.
Thanks for sharing, PokPok!
I don't agree on his views about God and religion, mind you...
A quote from "The Path to Freedom":
"Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the point of view of others, and not just those in power; to contemplate, with the best teachers, the insights, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever where, drawn from the entire planet and from all of our history. They allow people long dead to talk inside our heads. Books can accompany us everywhere. Books are patients when we are slow to understand, allow us to go over the hard parts as many times as we wish, and are never critical of our lapses. Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society."
Brilliant, isn't it?
I have RonOren's address, and will be sending it to him soon.
Thanks for sharing, PokPok!
Sent to RonOren on Thursday, November, 15th.
Enjoy!!
Enjoy!!
This just arrived, and looks very interesting! I've almost finished one of the books I'm reading at the moment, so I'll probably get started on it in a day or two.
I was a little disappointed in this book, although I'm not completely sure why. Not much of it was very new to me (as I think some of the earlier readers felt as well), which may have deflated my expectations somewhat.
What definitely did annoy me was that, for about the first half of the book, Sagan talks about the whole UFO thing only. It's fair enough that he debunks all of that, but I felt he kept going at it far too long. I'm afraid I got so annoyed with him ranting against what it clearly his pet hate, that I couldn't enjoy the rest of the book anymore. It's a shame, because I could see it was good, but I just couldn't get myself in the mood.
Still, I'm grateful for the opportunity to read this. Thanks for sharing it, PokPok! I'll send it on to InvisibleAng and hope s/he will enjoy it a little more than I did...
What definitely did annoy me was that, for about the first half of the book, Sagan talks about the whole UFO thing only. It's fair enough that he debunks all of that, but I felt he kept going at it far too long. I'm afraid I got so annoyed with him ranting against what it clearly his pet hate, that I couldn't enjoy the rest of the book anymore. It's a shame, because I could see it was good, but I just couldn't get myself in the mood.
Still, I'm grateful for the opportunity to read this. Thanks for sharing it, PokPok! I'll send it on to InvisibleAng and hope s/he will enjoy it a little more than I did...
Just send to InvisibleAng!
Journal Entry 35 by InvisibleAng from Belfast, Co. Antrim United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 16, 2008
This arrived in the post today. I skim-read the first couple of chapters and I think I'm really going to like it.
Journal Entry 36 by InvisibleAng from Belfast, Co. Antrim United Kingdom on Thursday, March 20, 2008
It's interesting to read the mixed views on this book. I did find it tough going in places, but I think that's more because my concentration hasn't been terribly good than any deficiency in the writing. And the author mentions in the text that he understands people are going to get lost during the difficult physics bits, which is nice!
I'd have happily read an entire book debunking more kinds of pseudoscience because I find that fascinating, but I didn't mind the focus on alien abduction for a few chapters, since it does feed into the ideas that recur in society and cause various problems. I found it interesting to see the psychology of that related to witch panics in past centuries.
Sagan gives a good overview of the ways in which science has been understood and misunderstood over the years; some of it's frightening to read. I see some things that confirm his view of things and some which offer a bit more hope, but then I'm living in a different country, twelve years later.
I'm sorry he's gone; it's rare to see science explained with so much enthusiasm to such a wide audience, and it rekindled an interest in science in me which had lain by the wayside since I was at school. I will look for more of his books.
PMing BellaMack, and will pass the book on once I have the address. Sorry to have held up the ring for so long!
I'd have happily read an entire book debunking more kinds of pseudoscience because I find that fascinating, but I didn't mind the focus on alien abduction for a few chapters, since it does feed into the ideas that recur in society and cause various problems. I found it interesting to see the psychology of that related to witch panics in past centuries.
Sagan gives a good overview of the ways in which science has been understood and misunderstood over the years; some of it's frightening to read. I see some things that confirm his view of things and some which offer a bit more hope, but then I'm living in a different country, twelve years later.
I'm sorry he's gone; it's rare to see science explained with so much enthusiasm to such a wide audience, and it rekindled an interest in science in me which had lain by the wayside since I was at school. I will look for more of his books.
PMing BellaMack, and will pass the book on once I have the address. Sorry to have held up the ring for so long!
Sorry, I was sure I'd journalled to say that the book had been posted. It went out to BellaMack shortly after my last entry.
Received a couple of weeks ago and forgotten to journal, my apologies. Have a few books before it but will read it asap and journal again.
This arrived here today - I have totally forgotten about signing up for this, but I can see why I did!
Sagan writes with such passion, it's hard to not be affected by it. I particularly enjoyed the section on UFOs. I hadn't read much from the skeptical side about UFOs and abductions before. The comparison to visions of angels, fairies, demons, et al was very interesting. It's an exciting topic which could teach us much about the universe or about human psyche. Why do so many people experience the phenomena? And why do others not?
But the book is about more than debunking UFOs and other pseudo-sciences, it's about clear thought and critical reasoning. Here is a favourite quote of mine from page 429: "(T)he cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas".
But the book is about more than debunking UFOs and other pseudo-sciences, it's about clear thought and critical reasoning. Here is a favourite quote of mine from page 429: "(T)he cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas".
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Posted to Miketroll today.
Posted to Miketroll today.
Hard to overpraise this book! Sagan offers a stunning overview of the persistence of mediaeval superstition in the modern world. Instead of angels and demons, people may believe in abduction by little grey men in alien spacecraft, the extraterrestrial agent of crop circles, the healing power of crystals, etc etc.
The frightening part is that our very lives depend on science and technology, yet so few people have even a basic understanding of how science works. Sagan spells it out very eloquently. The political focus of his closing chapters also has a direct bearing on the imminent US presidential election. Not only science, but also democracy may be at stake.
The frightening part is that our very lives depend on science and technology, yet so few people have even a basic understanding of how science works. Sagan spells it out very eloquently. The political focus of his closing chapters also has a direct bearing on the imminent US presidential election. Not only science, but also democracy may be at stake.
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Shipping out to VVilliam today!
Shipping out to VVilliam today!
Just got this in the mail today and I can't wait to start after I finish This Is Your Brain On Music.
