El mundo y sus demonios: La ciencia como una luz en la oscuridad
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- Create Date：2022-10-18 01:53:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Carl Sagan
- ISBN：6077473987
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Summary
¿Estamos al borde de una nueva edad oscura de irracionalismo y superstición？。 En este libro conmovedor y argumentado con brillantez， el científico de renombre internacional Carl Sagan demuestra que el pensamiento científico es necesario para salvaguardar nuestras instituciones democráticas y nuestra civilización técnica。
El mundo y sus demonios es más personal y está más lleno de historias humanas entrañables y reveladoras que todo lo escrito por Sagan anteriormente。 El autor， con las experiencias de su propia infancia y la apasionante historia de los descubrimientos de la ciencia， muestra cómo el metodo del pensamiento racional puede superar prejuicios y superticiones para dejar al descubierto la verdad， que， con frecuencia， resulta sorprendente。
Desenmascara de forma convincente las «abducciones por extraterrestres»， los «canalizadores»， el fraude de los curanderos， la «cara en Marte»， entre otras muchas falacias。 Rechaza， asimismo， la idea de que la ciencia destruye la espiritualidad o de que es otro sistema arbitrario de creencias。 Se pregunta por qué la actividad científica suele ser hoy estigmatizada， discute los peligros de utilizar mal la ciencia y proporciona un «método de detección de camelos» en el pensamiento político， social y religioso。
Controvertido， provocador y sugestivo， El mundo y sus demonios será sin duda un libro del que se hablará y discutirá con pasión。
El mundo y sus demonios es más personal y está más lleno de historias humanas entrañables y reveladoras que todo lo escrito por Sagan anteriormente。 El autor， con las experiencias de su propia infancia y la apasionante historia de los descubrimientos de la ciencia， muestra cómo el metodo del pensamiento racional puede superar prejuicios y superticiones para dejar al descubierto la verdad， que， con frecuencia， resulta sorprendente。
Desenmascara de forma convincente las «abducciones por extraterrestres»， los «canalizadores»， el fraude de los curanderos， la «cara en Marte»， entre otras muchas falacias。 Rechaza， asimismo， la idea de que la ciencia destruye la espiritualidad o de que es otro sistema arbitrario de creencias。 Se pregunta por qué la actividad científica suele ser hoy estigmatizada， discute los peligros de utilizar mal la ciencia y proporciona un «método de detección de camelos» en el pensamiento político， social y religioso。
Controvertido， provocador y sugestivo， El mundo y sus demonios será sin duda un libro del que se hablará y discutirá con pasión。
Reviews
Arvind Sharma
，
Firstly I am a very big fan of Cosmos series and I have heard a great many accolades for Carl Sagan for demystifying Science for general audiences。 In this book which I come to understand was published in his final years， talks about why Science should be promoted and its role in development of our planet and species。 He very openly established his dislike for pseudoscience and wanted to promote objective thinking and using multi theory approach towards every question。 In some sense his suggesti Firstly I am a very big fan of Cosmos series and I have heard a great many accolades for Carl Sagan for demystifying Science for general audiences。 In this book which I come to understand was published in his final years， talks about why Science should be promoted and its role in development of our planet and species。 He very openly established his dislike for pseudoscience and wanted to promote objective thinking and using multi theory approach towards every question。 In some sense his suggestions are very true， but it is slightly idealistic to hope that every human will follow objective approach in matter relating logic。 He was very displeased with American education system in his age and I guess he would have been happy to see their current development。 He was a great thinker and was an inspiration for many。 Would have given 5 stars， but fealt that it was focusing too much on bringing down pseudoscience than actually giving out cool examples like baloney detection kit and Maxwell story to promote science。 。。。more
Thabang
，
The Demon Haunted World is one of those books that you can never forget。 It provides the most thought-provoking and comprehensive scrutiny of the disorderly state of our society。 The author clearly argues and shows how the rise of pseudoscience and the decline of critical thinking in society are recipes for disaster。 From world politics， philosophy， history， economics， religious doctrines， folklore， and the scientific method; Carl Sagan left no stones unturned in this book。 This is one of his be The Demon Haunted World is one of those books that you can never forget。 It provides the most thought-provoking and comprehensive scrutiny of the disorderly state of our society。 The author clearly argues and shows how the rise of pseudoscience and the decline of critical thinking in society are recipes for disaster。 From world politics， philosophy， history， economics， religious doctrines， folklore， and the scientific method; Carl Sagan left no stones unturned in this book。 This is one of his best offerings to the people of planet earth。 For a long time I've been struggling to understand some of the key issues discussed in this book and I'm glad i read it because it provided me with a fresh new perspective。The baloney-detection toolkit is surely something that should be taught in schools and in higher-education institutions。 I think the book deserves to be read by more people on earth。 The ideas presented are powerful， simple， and yet essential for the well-being of our society， for a world free of demons。 。。。more
Esteban
，
Estaba complicado pero épico
Nancy
，
I think the subject is interesting， but this book was a bit redundant and hard to get into。 I didn't finish。 I got up to chapter 11 and to me was funny to read about the responses he got to an article， so I decided to end on a high note。 I think the subject is interesting， but this book was a bit redundant and hard to get into。 I didn't finish。 I got up to chapter 11 and to me was funny to read about the responses he got to an article， so I decided to end on a high note。 。。。more
Dan
，
Sagan has a lot to say about the scientific method。 He ranges over human history， bringing a lot to bear on the question of what we might do to avoid existential problems like climate change， nuclear war， conspiracy theories and autocratic governments。 Much of the time this book is very good， and Sagan's warnings from 1997 have only proved more accurate。 The book could've used an editor to squeeze out redundancy and overly-long lists that tend to pop up regularly。 Still， this is an important boo Sagan has a lot to say about the scientific method。 He ranges over human history， bringing a lot to bear on the question of what we might do to avoid existential problems like climate change， nuclear war， conspiracy theories and autocratic governments。 Much of the time this book is very good， and Sagan's warnings from 1997 have only proved more accurate。 The book could've used an editor to squeeze out redundancy and overly-long lists that tend to pop up regularly。 Still， this is an important book， making a compelling case for skeptical， clear thinking in an age when it is increasingly hard to sort truth from fantasy and out-and-out lies。 。。。more
Terrance Shaw
，
In so many ways， the issues Sagan highlighted in 1995 have become increasingly more urgent and intractable: This book is agonizingly prescient in places， especially when we realize that so many problems have been clearly identified for decades with little or no corresponding action taken in the interim。 Denialism， willful ignorance of science and the scientific method， profit-driven propaganda， charlatanism that takes advantage of mass gullibility， lack of political will or the stubborn insisten In so many ways， the issues Sagan highlighted in 1995 have become increasingly more urgent and intractable: This book is agonizingly prescient in places， especially when we realize that so many problems have been clearly identified for decades with little or no corresponding action taken in the interim。 Denialism， willful ignorance of science and the scientific method， profit-driven propaganda， charlatanism that takes advantage of mass gullibility， lack of political will or the stubborn insistence on doing nothing in the belief that some imagined god will save us from our own folly。 How can democracy--civilization itself--continue to function among peoples who， for whatever reason， have allowed themselves to become so dangerously uninformed？ And yet， the solution Sagan proposed then is still valid and well worth trying today: Nurturing our capacity for inquiry; creating an educational environment where all questions are welcome--where， in truth， the ability to ask good questions may be more important than knowing （or seeming to know） all the answers。 The free and open exchange of ideas and the training to distinguish a good argument from a weak or poor one: A healthy balance of skepticism and wonder。 。。。more
Darth
，
This is the absolute last book I force myself to finish in 2022。 I am both disappointed and， honestly， kinda pissed off （for reasons I'll explain below）。 First， let me just say， just like every other person （basically）， I love me some Carl Sagan。 I think he was a great man who did great things for science。 This book， however， was not it （for me）。 Launching into it: It was overly long and overly indulgent。 It got to the point where， when I reached the fourth or fifth section of bullet points （tha This is the absolute last book I force myself to finish in 2022。 I am both disappointed and， honestly， kinda pissed off （for reasons I'll explain below）。 First， let me just say， just like every other person （basically）， I love me some Carl Sagan。 I think he was a great man who did great things for science。 This book， however， was not it （for me）。 Launching into it: It was overly long and overly indulgent。 It got to the point where， when I reached the fourth or fifth section of bullet points （that went on for literal pages）， I had to skip it。 Why？ Why did he do this？ Who thought it was a good idea to bullet point basically the same fucking idea over and over and over and over and over and over again？ Further， I sincerely do not understand how Sagan can say something I adamantly agree with: folks are struggling with science， with balancing logic and truth with wonder and curiosity， then go on and write one of the most impenetrable books concerning the subject I've ever read （granted， I haven't delved *that* much into this topic because it both depresses and enrages me）。 And I say impenetrable not because this is a difficult book to read， but because， uh， it's a difficult book to read。 Meaning， it's fucking boring。 I mean， sure， there are *lots* of tidbits throughout that are crazy cool and interesting， but they're sandwiched between nearly the same fucking points over and over again。 Like， I get it， Carl， I get it。 What I will say， is this book did not make me like Sagan any less。 All it did was make me more aware that， yeah， we are fucked。 People are stupid。 People are proud of their stupidity （the section about school kids and how， at a certain age， they start priding ignorance over intelligence is something that's， impossibly， even more prominent today--also， that said， Sagan would probs really fucking hate what the world has become nowadays。。。） I'm unsure who， exactly， Sagan wrote this book for。 Is it for scientists？ To tell them to be a little less hard-asses when it comes to skepticism？ For people like me， folks who research conspiracy theories and are fascinated by them as a form of living folklore？ For people who believe or want to believe？ Because if this book was written with the intention of speaking to those folks Sagan so adamantly wishes understood the things he's trying to convey， well， they're sure as shit not gonna sit through nearly 500 pages of this， you know？Finally， I was utterly baffled by the chapter on nukes。 Sagan， not once， brought up Japan？？？ Like。。。what？ Is this is Mandala Effect？ （Yes， I'm aware of how hilarious and improper it is to use that in a review about this book but whatevs）。 Further， he literally says， "We haven't had a nuclear war yet， have we？" What？ What？ What？ What？ I am so confused。 Instead， all he talks about is how sad the scientists were/are nukes exist？ Like what？That's all I got。 Here are some quotes for my future self:"There is much that science doesn't understand， many mysteries still to be resolved。""One of the saddest lessons in history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough， we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle。 We're no longer interested in finding out the truth。 The bamboozle has captured us。 It's simply too painful to acknowledge， even to ourselves， that we've been taken。 Once you give a charlatan power over you， you almost never get it back。 So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new ones rise。" Probably the best quote in the book。 "As I've tried to stress， 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。" "Even casual scrutiny of history reveals that we humans have a sad tendency to make the same mistakes again and again。" 。。。more
Syams Fajar
，
Mengusik banyak mitos， tradisi， dan nilai-nilai yang selama ini kita pegang atau percayai。
John Geary
，
A very well written book， one that I think should be obligatory reading for anyone who wants to get a high school diploma。It’s not just about science， it’s about critical thinking - something that we are really lacking in our society today。 It took me a while to get through this book， because I got bogged down in the section where he writes about the possibility of aliens from other planets landing on Earth。 I understand he’s fascinated by the potential for this， but he spends several chapters w A very well written book， one that I think should be obligatory reading for anyone who wants to get a high school diploma。It’s not just about science， it’s about critical thinking - something that we are really lacking in our society today。 It took me a while to get through this book， because I got bogged down in the section where he writes about the possibility of aliens from other planets landing on Earth。 I understand he’s fascinated by the potential for this， but he spends several chapters writing about the lack of evidence for so-called alien abductions and “close encounters of the third kind。” I understand what he’s trying to get across， that there is really no solid evidence to support people’s claims of alien encounters， but I don’t know that he needed to go on as long as he did， about it。 That being said， it is a book that should be read by everyone - particularly the last two chapters， “Science and Witchcraft“ （the descriptions of torture applied to accused witches are not for the squeamish） and “Real Patriots Ask Questions。“Reading this now， 26 years after it was originally published， I got an eerie sense that he was prophesying what was to come。I wonder if everybody had read this and understood it when it first came out in the mid-90s， if our world might not be a little different today， a little better？ 。。。more
Tanja Berg
，
Even though this book is not new and some of things debunked here - aliens， spoon bending - aren't exactly high on anyone's agenda， the basic points hold up very well。 We need the scientific method and facts as a base for decision making， not bogus beliefs and hysteria。 This is more needed than ever in a day and age were false news spread at lightning speed on social media， willfully monitored and fanned under by trolls， Russian and otherwise。 Even though this book is not new and some of things debunked here - aliens， spoon bending - aren't exactly high on anyone's agenda， the basic points hold up very well。 We need the scientific method and facts as a base for decision making， not bogus beliefs and hysteria。 This is more needed than ever in a day and age were false news spread at lightning speed on social media， willfully monitored and fanned under by trolls， Russian and otherwise。 。。。more
Sam Bartholomew
，
Should be inspiring， but I feel like Sagan would mostly just be disappointed with all of us。
Neenz Faleafine
，
He wrote this in 1995。 It could have been written in 2022。 An example of science + faith = a critically examined prophesy？ You decide。
Nicolas Pinzon
，
El músico y creador de contenido Alvin Schut da a entender que «el arte nutre el alma»。 Pues así mismo este libro nutre el intelecto。 De lejos «El mundo y sus demonios» ha sido el libro que más me ha hecho pensar y ha transformado la manera en la que interpreto el mundo， pues gracias a este， hoy proceso lo que vivo de una manera más compleja， alejándome más de radicalismos， vicios argumentativos y liberándome de «la tiranía de mis propias pasiones»。 Recomendado para cualquier persona que quiera El músico y creador de contenido Alvin Schut da a entender que «el arte nutre el alma»。 Pues así mismo este libro nutre el intelecto。 De lejos «El mundo y sus demonios» ha sido el libro que más me ha hecho pensar y ha transformado la manera en la que interpreto el mundo， pues gracias a este， hoy proceso lo que vivo de una manera más compleja， alejándome más de radicalismos， vicios argumentativos y liberándome de «la tiranía de mis propias pasiones»。 Recomendado para cualquier persona que quiera darle un «abrazo» a su intelecto。 。。。more
Eric B。 Kennedy
，
This collection of essays felt good， if dated。 It's good in the sense that Sagan lays out - in a clear and engaging way - a number of the core arguments of scepticism， without the ugliness that comes along with many of the 'new atheists' （e。g。， Dawkins， etc）。 For Sagan， it seems born of a true wonder: a science-inspired curiosity about how the world works and a commitment to make the world a more caring place。At the same time， though， while the arguments and logics he lays out remain true， they This collection of essays felt good， if dated。 It's good in the sense that Sagan lays out - in a clear and engaging way - a number of the core arguments of scepticism， without the ugliness that comes along with many of the 'new atheists' （e。g。， Dawkins， etc）。 For Sagan， it seems born of a true wonder: a science-inspired curiosity about how the world works and a commitment to make the world a more caring place。At the same time， though， while the arguments and logics he lays out remain true， they also don't feel quite as timely in 2022。 The proximate threats in anti-science aren't things like astrology or belief in ghosts。。。 they're a society that not just rejects life-safety truths （like vaccines or masks）， but even the very idea of truth at all。 My hunch， from his essays， is that Sagan would reply that our modern day tribulations are born of the same things that underpin astrology or ghosts。 But， I just didn't find compelling answers in the book of how we address those， if so。 It's easy to appeal to the need for more basic science education， or more engaging curriculums， or more science outreach。。。 but I think the landscape of social media， of intentional mis- and disinformation， of political leaders who view a primary purpose as undermining the very idea of truth - these demand a more satisfying response than just a bit more science outreach。 Moreover， the book is deeply grounded in a pretty basic 'deficit model' way of thinking， and remains in a land before much of the great contemporary scholarship on cultural cognition， trust in science， etc。And that's where the book felt timeless in a few ways but more fundamentally dated overall。 The arguments and problems when it comes to dangerous， non-scientific beliefs remain true， perhaps obscured by even more cataclysmic failings。。。 but it felt thin when it comes to actual solutions for addressing these。 。。。more
Andrey Voev
，
This is a book that everyone should read。
London Storm
，
I wish more people would read this and fewer would read the Bible。 Or maybe both would be fine。 This is clearly the better book， however， in terms of its positively transformative effect on one's thinking。 I wish more people would read this and fewer would read the Bible。 Or maybe both would be fine。 This is clearly the better book， however， in terms of its positively transformative effect on one's thinking。 。。。more
Ren
，
This has been on my shelf forever so I'm glad I finally got a chance to finish it。 I think it still has some important messages for today and some of it is more relevant than ever to the current anti-science political climate， but some of this book is also starting to show its age， especially the alien-abduction chapters which I felt were way too long and way too numerous。 I wonder how a 20 or 30 year anniversary edition would have been updated if Sagan had lived， and how the advent of the inter This has been on my shelf forever so I'm glad I finally got a chance to finish it。 I think it still has some important messages for today and some of it is more relevant than ever to the current anti-science political climate， but some of this book is also starting to show its age， especially the alien-abduction chapters which I felt were way too long and way too numerous。 I wonder how a 20 or 30 year anniversary edition would have been updated if Sagan had lived， and how the advent of the internet has changed some of the phenomena discussed in this book。 。。。more
Paul Quick
，
he gives ssolid advice on how to deal with consiracy theroies and the like。 His background in Astrophysics rebveals itself in many examples。 Not a Tour de Force but noteworthy book。
Lili
，
I am only giving it 5 stars because it is against pseudoscience but otherwise I didn't need convincing of the importance of science and found the book a bit too long and drawn out。 Still it was a good listen and I don't regret purchasing the audiobook even though it was too expensive for me。 I am only giving it 5 stars because it is against pseudoscience but otherwise I didn't need convincing of the importance of science and found the book a bit too long and drawn out。 Still it was a good listen and I don't regret purchasing the audiobook even though it was too expensive for me。 。。。more
Anonymous
，
Carl Sagan talks about pseudoscience and science。 Recommended。 Offers much to those who are in the quagmire of superstitions and need a perspective。
Mădălina Mîndrilă
，
My fellow Jungians， the title of this book is giving me major Shadow vibes。 Many years have passed since I‘ve read it and I remember quite a lot of reasonable arguments， yet there are some topics which require further analysis， especially as one doesn’t want to fall into the trap of viewing science as a religion。 Which would be quite ironic。
Ali alhusainy
，
كارل ساغان عالم فريد من نوعه يجمع بين الاخلاق و العلم بشكل رائع اتمنى لو قرات هذا الكتاب و انا في سن اصغر ، بل من الرائع ان يكون هذا الكتاب متاحا للقراء باعمار اصغر فهو يعطي فكرة جميلة عن مواجهة التخلف و الافكار الخاطئة عن طريق العلم و التفكير المنطقي دون المساس بشكل كبير بالروحانيات ، اذ يترك المجال لبقاء العقائد و الافكار لكن دون ان تؤثر على سلامة التفكير و الاختيار الصحيح قراءة رائعة ، لكنه طويل نوعا ما صراحة و هنالك الكثير من المواضيع التي كان يمكن اختزالها
Katalina Landinez
，
Es un libro muy interesante 👌
Carlos Granda Rojas
，
It´s been a pleasure had been talking with Carl Sagan for a month， because I felt it that way， this must be an obligatory reading for everyone because it is a very good resume of many important subjects that the humanity need to afront in this time
Syon Bhanot
，
Definitely a classic on science and reason。 First half can get repetitive at times and the focus is a bit too much on alien abduction/UFOs。 Second half meanders a little bit。 But overall there’s enough valuable material here for everyone to benefit from reading it。
Jessica Cottrell
，
Pretty good book about the virtues of science and skepticism。 Carl would be horrified by the year 2022 I think。 We are failing him。
jailbird
，
enjoyable！ the first half （centered around alien abduction stories） zips along。 i found that the content became slightly less engaging + more disorganized in the latter third。 still holds up very well。 thought-provoking and filled with sagan's characteristic romance。 enjoyable！ the first half （centered around alien abduction stories） zips along。 i found that the content became slightly less engaging + more disorganized in the latter third。 still holds up very well。 thought-provoking and filled with sagan's characteristic romance。 。。。more
Diego Correa
，
En el mundo y sus demonios su autor nos presenta una disertación sobre la importancia de la ciencia， el pensamiento crítico y el escepticismo para el avance tecnológico， político y social de nuestra especie。 Explorando temas como la cacería de brujas en tiempos de la inquisición， las apariciones religiosas o las abducciones extraterrestres expone su preocupación de que la humanidad vuelva a entrar en periodos oscuros por la credulidad de la mayoría de la población y esa falta de pensamiento crít En el mundo y sus demonios su autor nos presenta una disertación sobre la importancia de la ciencia， el pensamiento crítico y el escepticismo para el avance tecnológico， político y social de nuestra especie。 Explorando temas como la cacería de brujas en tiempos de la inquisición， las apariciones religiosas o las abducciones extraterrestres expone su preocupación de que la humanidad vuelva a entrar en periodos oscuros por la credulidad de la mayoría de la población y esa falta de pensamiento crítico que debemos inculcar y trabajar。La pandemia del Covid-19 nos ha dejado grandes ejemplos de esta preocupación de Carl Sagan， con temas como los anti vacunas o las teorías conspirativas que se generaron alrededor del tema y podemos hacer grandes paralelismos con lo que se nos expone en el texto。 Definitivamente es un libro que no puede faltar en nuestras bibliotecas y un libro para recomendar a todo el mundo。 。。。more
Jordan
，
Really excellent defence of critical thinking and science （as a mix of skepticism and wonder） against pseudo-science and superstition。
Salvador David Ochoa Santana
，