Science

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

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  • Create Date：2021-04-11 11:58:31
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Carl Sagan
  • ISBN：0345409469
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Yash Malviya ，

The overarching theme - Role of scepticism in science but also in general。 Importance of and possible process for making science accessible to the masses。Plenty of connections made with events of the past and events during Sagan's lifetime such as - 16th-century Witchcraft （Content surrounding this gets a bit dark and too descriptive）， Religious doctrines modified for the convenience of the Church， Well-renowned scientists as susceptible to pitfalls of rigid biases， UFOs and the possibility of t The overarching theme - Role of scepticism in science but also in general。 Importance of and possible process for making science accessible to the masses。Plenty of connections made with events of the past and events during Sagan's lifetime such as - 16th-century Witchcraft （Content surrounding this gets a bit dark and too descriptive）， Religious doctrines modified for the convenience of the Church， Well-renowned scientists as susceptible to pitfalls of rigid biases， UFOs and the possibility of the existence of extraterrestrial life， Various public misunderstandings of observation later getting a scientific explanation and justifications given by both sides， Atomic bombs and other atrocities enabled by modern science， Faith healing and other pseudoscience。The analysis of the above connections presented by the author is neither exhaustive nor well tested， so take it with a grain of salt。 It merely showcases where we can begin with scepticism。Science is portrayed just as a framework that allows systematic testing of new ideas。 There is this openness to diverse ideas not much unlike democracy and how this aspect can be already present or applied elsewhere too。The author urges experts to not just focus on the advancement of their fields but also their appropriate mass communication。 Myths that are linked to their fields should be carefully considered and respectfully and effectively debunked。 He writes about how to make science more appealing so it is as pursued as other high demand aspirations （Law， Pro athletes， etc。 US specific）。 My own experience too narrow to know if this is the case。 Thoughts？ These principles could also be applied to scientific research grant proposals and for designing education systems。One method that Sagan suggests to use to teach scepticism is - pick an issue that had a major impact on you （the more personal the issue is to you the better）， now prepare and present the main opposing viewpoint。4。25/5。 Definitely would recommend it， just don't be too bitter if some criticism hit home （refer Goodreads community review）。 Conclusions drawn from the 400 pages are pretty repetitive， just the scenario and situations differ so not worth a second read。 But I definitely see this book affecting the way I consume any information as well as how I convey it。 。。。more

Ana Omelete ，

Um livro que devia ser obrigatório ler， nestes tempos de teorias da conspiração e pseudociências。

EmmaPorzee ，

Great story; I love how it was given。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top

〰️Beth〰️ ，

I enjoyed the points Sagan made in the book， especially reading in the midst of a global pandemic。 That being said I am sure there are many who would greatly dislike the book。 If you believe a higher power or aliens or demons are the cause of many of our planet and peoples problems this might not be your best book option。 Buy hey give it a try and have some respectful social discussion on the topics。

Ruby Rue ，

It's very difficult to write a review about this book。 Not because I have mixed feelings but it touched to the soft spot in my heart: science and science communication。 This book listed all of the reasons I started and keep doing science。 It reminded me of childish wonder， which I still feel， which all people in science feel。I expected a good science popular book， but I didn't expect the magnificent analysis of the social， racial， political and gender aspects of science and scientific philosophy It's very difficult to write a review about this book。 Not because I have mixed feelings but it touched to the soft spot in my heart: science and science communication。 This book listed all of the reasons I started and keep doing science。 It reminded me of childish wonder， which I still feel， which all people in science feel。I expected a good science popular book， but I didn't expect the magnificent analysis of the social， racial， political and gender aspects of science and scientific philosophy。 I knew that Sagan is a great scientist and a communicator， but I didn't know of his social values and ideologies。 While being an accomplished physicist and an avid communicator， he was not looking down on people who believe in pseudoscience but he's keen to judge the policies and social aspects which led to that。I admire him and Ann Druyan， I kind of already have a scientist-crush on him。 The book reminded me of times I was trying to make science more accessible for general public。 I haven't done it for a while， but now I am full of motivation and energy。I am gonna recommend this book to everyone: to my scientist colleagues， science enthusiasts and to people who tend to believe in pseudoscience。This book is not just a candle in the dark， it's a bright fluorescent lamp， it's a lighthouse， it's a sun。 。。。more

Michael ，

Generally liked the book and agreed with the basic points regarding the value of the scientific method and the need for skepticism， especially when dealing with non-scientific belief systems。 Unfortunately， Carl goes off on tangents to advance various political beliefs and when doing so， he often forgets to apply the principles。 As one simple example， Carl makes the case that Edward Teller was a very bad person for his efforts to develop the hydrogen bomb。 Carl's argument is basically that the w Generally liked the book and agreed with the basic points regarding the value of the scientific method and the need for skepticism， especially when dealing with non-scientific belief systems。 Unfortunately， Carl goes off on tangents to advance various political beliefs and when doing so， he often forgets to apply the principles。 As one simple example， Carl makes the case that Edward Teller was a very bad person for his efforts to develop the hydrogen bomb。 Carl's argument is basically that the world would be safer if Edward didn't do it。 However， Carl never considers that the USSR would have developed the hydrogen bomb independently of the US。 So the real question was whether the US should have developed the hydrogen bomb first。 Not whether the US should have developed the hydrogen bomb at all。 。。。more

Whitney ，

Although some areas were dense， it was easier to read than expected。 There is even some slight， but dry humor。 It's a great read for some interested in breaking old myths that you've lived by。 The book allowed me to remind myself there is an explanation for everything while permitting future discoveries。 Although some areas were dense， it was easier to read than expected。 There is even some slight， but dry humor。 It's a great read for some interested in breaking old myths that you've lived by。 The book allowed me to remind myself there is an explanation for everything while permitting future discoveries。 。。。more

Jurgita Petrutyte ，

Dėl tam tikrų priežasčių šitą knygą labai ilgai skaičiau。 Bet pasisekė， kad ši knyga papuolė į tokį laikotarpį， nes ji labiau toks staipsnių rinkinys。 Bendra linija išlaikoma， bet jei padarai ilgesnį tarpą - nesijauti kažką užmiršus ir nesugebanti sekti minties。 Knyga ne nauja- angliškas leidimas 1997。 Bet dėl to tik neramiau ją skaitant， nes per 20 metų ji mažiau aktuali nepasidarė。 Ir kaip su visom tokiom knygom - kam labiausiai reiktų， jos tikrai neskaitys。 Man visad buvo įdomu kodėl kai kuri Dėl tam tikrų priežasčių šitą knygą labai ilgai skaičiau。 Bet pasisekė， kad ši knyga papuolė į tokį laikotarpį， nes ji labiau toks staipsnių rinkinys。 Bendra linija išlaikoma， bet jei padarai ilgesnį tarpą - nesijauti kažką užmiršus ir nesugebanti sekti minties。 Knyga ne nauja- angliškas leidimas 1997。 Bet dėl to tik neramiau ją skaitant， nes per 20 metų ji mažiau aktuali nepasidarė。 Ir kaip su visom tokiom knygom - kam labiausiai reiktų， jos tikrai neskaitys。 Man visad buvo įdomu kodėl kai kuriems žmonėms taip reikia stebuklų ir dievų。 Kodėl kai kurie atsiako pripažinti tiesą net paaiškėjus apgaulei ir visad nori kažkokios mistikos ir žemiškas paaiškinimas jiems netinka。 Ir kodėl ateiviai labiausia grobia JAV piliečius。 Aš skaitydama knygas visada išsirenku “auksines” citatas。 Tai šitos knygos citata man labai įsirėžė ir turbūt bus Metų citata: Būti atviro proto yra dorybė， tačiau ne tokio atviro， kad iškristų smegenys。 （Keeping an open mind is a virtue—but， as the space engineer James Oberg once said， not so open that your brains fall out。） 。。。more

Alexa ，

Ugh， this book took me 4 months to read because I kept avoiding it。 It's an AWESOME book for maybe the first 100-200 pages， but after that it was tedious。I don't understand who Sagan intended his audience to be with this book。 The whole thing is about how important scientific （and by the last couple chapters apparently political） literacy is， but I don't feel like he's speaking to scientifically illiterate people in an effort to make them more literate。 It honestly felt like a circle-jerk for pe Ugh， this book took me 4 months to read because I kept avoiding it。 It's an AWESOME book for maybe the first 100-200 pages， but after that it was tedious。I don't understand who Sagan intended his audience to be with this book。 The whole thing is about how important scientific （and by the last couple chapters apparently political） literacy is， but I don't feel like he's speaking to scientifically illiterate people in an effort to make them more literate。 It honestly felt like a circle-jerk for people who already are scientifically literate， because the kind of language he uses， the way he frames his opinions， just everything about how it's written is like "right， folks？ Haha I mean you get it。" And I'm like yeah， Carl， I do get it， but the important point is that so many others don't。 Scientifically literate people already know there isn't enough scientific literacy in the world， so why are you speaking to us？At first I thought maybe it's a call to action。 Maybe he wrote the book for scientifically literate people so we could come away from the book with a better understanding of how to increase scientific literacy in our community。 But no， I feel like that isn't what happened。 He covers a lot of ground in this book， but it doesn't even scratch the surface of how complex the topic is。 Hence why it feels like you need to be scientifically literate to even read it。 And even if you can read it， there's not a lot of teaching in the book。 You don't come out of this and say "next time I speak to my conspiracy theorist grandma I'm gonna have a better way of engaging her。" So ultimately like what's the point？？？？I would much rather Sagan have spent his time writing an engaging book for scientifically illiterate people as a gateway into scientific literacy。 If it's so god damn important to increase scientifically literacy that you wrote a 400 page book on how awful scientific illiteracy is， why the fuck didn't you do anything about it？ Do you want us， the readers， to do something about it？ Do you not know what to do about it， so you're just speaking to us instead so we can figure it out？ Is that why there are few actual teaching moments in this book？My bottom line is just， bruh， your message is not clear。 I finished the book。 What the fuck am I supposed to do now？ You like， almost called me to do something， but you didn't give me anymore tools than I already had going in， so thanks for the circle-jerk？ Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one who's upset by the lack of scentific literacy？ Thanks a LOT。 。。。more

Giray Özdemir ，

Özellikle Bölüm 25 günümüz Türkiye'si için okunması elzem bir metin。。。 Özellikle Bölüm 25 günümüz Türkiye'si için okunması elzem bir metin。。。 。。。more

Andrew Russell ，

I have a soft spot in my heart for anything Carl Sagan writes。 "Cosmos" was the book that made my interest in science and space become a fervent passion。 The writing in this book is no less engaging。 Multiple topics are tackled and given extremely fair treatment， even the topic of skepticism itself。 The book is a journey into how people can mislead themselves and how science is an extremely important tool to steer clear of such folly。 When dealing with pseudoscience Carl Sagan is careful not to I have a soft spot in my heart for anything Carl Sagan writes。 "Cosmos" was the book that made my interest in science and space become a fervent passion。 The writing in this book is no less engaging。 Multiple topics are tackled and given extremely fair treatment， even the topic of skepticism itself。 The book is a journey into how people can mislead themselves and how science is an extremely important tool to steer clear of such folly。 When dealing with pseudoscience Carl Sagan is careful not to just call out the bullshit but to try and understand where these misguided beliefs come from and how they can better be combated in the future。 For example he looks at the education system in the US compared to other nations and pleads for more general understanding of basic scientific concepts and the need for encouraging a sense of curiosity and wonder over brainless memorization of facts for passing exams。 There are so many beautiful passages in this book。 It truly is a wonderful experience reading his words and taking on his lessons。 I envy all students who got to sit in one of his classes。 Highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Casey ，

Fascinating - the only turn off is Sagan's 'holier-than-thou' attitude throughout the book。 Although， if I were as intelligent as Sagan， I probably would， too ;） Fascinating - the only turn off is Sagan's 'holier-than-thou' attitude throughout the book。 Although， if I were as intelligent as Sagan， I probably would， too ;） 。。。more

Daniel Caballero ，

En este libro Sagan nos habla de las certezas frente a la fe， como no fiarse de los charlatanes ya que solo nos venden humo。Sagan prefiere La luz tenue de una vela arrojada sobre las dudas de nuestra existencia antes de vivir en una oscuridad de mentiras y falsedades， es un libro que hay leer para entender como pensaba el grandísimo Carl Sagan inspirador para todos nosotros y como su legado sigue vivo en sus libros。

Jaeden Palanog ，

I like how the main characters met each other， I love the plot and everything about this book。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

GtrPlyr515 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I wasn’t too into the first half of the book。 Sagan is a great communicator but the subject matter wasn’t really my thing （I was looking for something more scientific， not a discussion on the scientific method but that is my fault for beginning this book in the first place）。The second half of the book was closer to what I enjoyed and he does get into science and its overall relevance to the world。 This is a conversation that I enjoyed more。 Overall， 4/5。 I am a Cosmos fan， this one was a little I wasn’t too into the first half of the book。 Sagan is a great communicator but the subject matter wasn’t really my thing （I was looking for something more scientific， not a discussion on the scientific method but that is my fault for beginning this book in the first place）。The second half of the book was closer to what I enjoyed and he does get into science and its overall relevance to the world。 This is a conversation that I enjoyed more。 Overall， 4/5。 I am a Cosmos fan， this one was a little light on data and more of a conversation。 。。。more

Anthony ，

That we as humanity's advocates should let science lead the thread of societal progress is a principle of common sense that， historically and contemporarily， has not and is not nearly as common as it should be。 Pseudoscience， conspiracy theory， and unchecked faith and tradition， married to our collective psyche， have long hampered our march forward， creating tangents where scientific discovery was possible。 Carl Sagan set out to correct course with The Demon-Haunted World， crafting a work that c That we as humanity's advocates should let science lead the thread of societal progress is a principle of common sense that， historically and contemporarily， has not and is not nearly as common as it should be。 Pseudoscience， conspiracy theory， and unchecked faith and tradition， married to our collective psyche， have long hampered our march forward， creating tangents where scientific discovery was possible。 Carl Sagan set out to correct course with The Demon-Haunted World， crafting a work that could have just as easily been titled "In Defense of Science" to combat the spate of naïveté he saw in his day。 However noble， by bringing the wrong weapons to the fight， he utilizes syllogism remarkably beneath someone of his rarified stature and comes to hasty conclusions about the metaphysics of thought。 Let's start with Sagan's treatment of oppositional perspectives， in which he frequently relies on the Straw Man Fallacy: a method of argumentation that brings about the wrong conclusion; one that he tellingly does not include in his list of similarly logically unsound methods。 Sagan simplifies and exaggerates those qualities that have run earnest people across time astray of science until their purported beliefs can easily be rendered foolhardy when contrasted against decidedly better respected historical figures。 There are peculiar instances where he even does it to himself by characterizing science as a monolith at fault for nuclear proliferation before crediting those scientists who unsuccessfully tried to stifle the creation of the hydrogen bomb。 This rationale is not wholly inappropriate when discussing the merits of Atlantean technology or the burning of "witches"， but it seems lazy to interpret something like the psychological pain of a loved one's death as an intellectual refusal to live in the real world。 It doesn't matter how he tries to contextualize such experiences with his own life if he's willing to forego empathy in the name of science。 It's especially strange to see such an uneven treatment of unscientific thought when he takes such great pains during the opening half of the book to carefully present the arguments of purported alien abductees and their ilk before debunking the same with empiricism。 Crucially， the aspects of the book I enjoyed were those that I was already inclined to agree with in the first place。 Is it any wonder to those that would read this book that we should practice empirical thinking？ The principles of critical， skeptical， fact-based thought processes should not be unfamiliar to anyone with even a cursory interest in science。 What's more， Sagan buries these principles beneath pontifications and a dizzyingly mass array of science， science history， and scientific equations。 As well as he does explain them on an individual basis， they aggregate to disarray for us non-scientists。 This certainly is not a book for changing anyone's mind。It would seem that Sagan's desire to evangelize to the masses dragged his ability to present cogent arguments。 As creator and presenter for the extremely popular 1980 television series， Cosmos， Sagan's legacy stands out amongst the handful of scientists who have cemented their standing in popular culture by evangelizing the splendors of science to the American public， but his excessively simple arguments in this book are tailored more for the Bill Nye the Science Guy age group than Neil deGrasse Tyson's。 。。。more

Fermin Quant ，

This book is nothing but a very long， very well articulated， essay about all the fake things people believe in， and why science is better。 It never actually explains anything about science， or how it works。 It simply states many examples that gullible people believe， and rants against them， one by one， occasionally mentioning why science disproves it。

Marshall Wayne Lee ，

Carl Sagans's _The Demon-Haunted World_ receives four stars from me。 I'm not going to speak much about this other than to say: this is a collection of essays。 They are all excellent， some better than others， some closer to a formal rant。 However， for science enthusiasts this will be an interesting read。 Carl Sagans's _The Demon-Haunted World_ receives four stars from me。 I'm not going to speak much about this other than to say: this is a collection of essays。 They are all excellent， some better than others， some closer to a formal rant。 However， for science enthusiasts this will be an interesting read。 。。。more

Winter Rose ，

The story is powerful， I like how it was presented。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Logan Howlett ，

I cannot stress how important this book is and how it should be read by everyone。 Please read this book！

Stan ，

A series of interrelated articles on science， education and how it relates to today's world。 Very thought provoking and well written。 A series of interrelated articles on science， education and how it relates to today's world。 Very thought provoking and well written。 。。。more

Adam Sojka ，

Book full of ideas how to make world better the the most importantly it focuses on importance of critical thinking， education and science。 Science and education is a way how to lead people out of powerty。

Candleflame23 ，

（العلم لا الخرافات هو ما سيقودنا إلى مستقبلٍ أفضل ، لقد جلب لنا العلم الكثير من النعم。。）يُمجد هذا الكتاب العلم على حساب الكثير من مظاهر الحياة خاصة الدين ！ ويصف المؤلف الأديان بالخرافات ويساويها بالتنجيم والسحر！في رحلة غزلية ركزت على ذكر الجانب الإيجابي من العلم وأغفلت " عمداً" ذكر مصائبه، ولا أدري حقيقة ما الأسباب التي تدفع للاعتقاد فعلا بأن العلم التجريبي هو المعيار الحقيقي والعدسة التي يجب أن لا يُرى العالم إلا من خلالها 。。 ويزعم الكاتب أن السبب الوحيد الذي يدفع هذا العدد المهول من البشر للإي （العلم لا الخرافات هو ما سيقودنا إلى مستقبلٍ أفضل ، لقد جلب لنا العلم الكثير من النعم。。）يُمجد هذا الكتاب العلم على حساب الكثير من مظاهر الحياة خاصة الدين ！ ويصف المؤلف الأديان بالخرافات ويساويها بالتنجيم والسحر！في رحلة غزلية ركزت على ذكر الجانب الإيجابي من العلم وأغفلت " عمداً" ذكر مصائبه، ولا أدري حقيقة ما الأسباب التي تدفع للاعتقاد فعلا بأن العلم التجريبي هو المعيار الحقيقي والعدسة التي يجب أن لا يُرى العالم إلا من خلالها 。。 ويزعم الكاتب أن السبب الوحيد الذي يدفع هذا العدد المهول من البشر للإيمان بالخرافات على حد تعريبه هو الميل العاطفي لها ！！ وأننا إذا تحكمنا بالعاطفة لرأينا كيف تتهاوى مثل هذه الخرافات ！！！ في الحقيقة الكتاب مُضحك 。في كتاب （الإيمان بالخالق والعلم）لـ جوردون ليدنر ذُكر نص مقتبس عن العالم روبرت جاسترو Robert Jastrow جاء فيه : يبدو في هذه اللحظة أن العلم لن يستطيع سحب البساط من غموض الخلق。 وإن القصة بالنسبة للعالم الذي عاش بإيمانه في قوة السبب ستنتهي كحلم سيء له。 فلقد تسلق جبل الإنكار، وهو على وشك بلوغ الذروة العليا، وقد جذب نفسه نحو الـصخرة الأخيرة ولكنه تلقى تحية من علماء الدين الذين يجلسون هناك منذ قرون。 "ماذا بعد القراءة ؟مؤمنة بأننا كلما تركنا العقل حرًا في البحث والاكتشاف كلما زاد يقيناً فوق "يقينه الفطري " بقضية الإيمان 。。ويقول في هذا اللورد كلفن:"لا تخف من كونك مفكرا حرا، فإنك إن فكرت كثيرا بما يكفي فستجبر بالعلم على الإيمان بالله مؤسس كافة الأديان، وستجد أن العلم لا يتعاكس مع الدين و إنما يسانده。"تمت#أبجدية_فرح 5/2🌸‏#candleflame23bookreviews#عالم_تسكنه_الشياطين للكاتب #كارل_ساجان‏#TheDemonhuntedWorld 。。。more

Rafael Isidoro ，

3，5Amo o Sagan， de verdade， mas esse livro não funcionou muito pra mim。Apesar de concordar com quase tudo o que está escrito， não gostei muito da forma como os argumentos foram expostos。 É um livro extremamente necessário nessa época onde as pseudociências dominam a sociedade e por isso indico a leitura， mas não é uma leitura fluida。A ordem dos assuntos ficou um pouco confusa e ele retoma assuntos que já haviam sido discutidos várias vezes。 Relacionar tudo aos relatos de abdução por extraterrest 3，5Amo o Sagan， de verdade， mas esse livro não funcionou muito pra mim。Apesar de concordar com quase tudo o que está escrito， não gostei muito da forma como os argumentos foram expostos。 É um livro extremamente necessário nessa época onde as pseudociências dominam a sociedade e por isso indico a leitura， mas não é uma leitura fluida。A ordem dos assuntos ficou um pouco confusa e ele retoma assuntos que já haviam sido discutidos várias vezes。 Relacionar tudo aos relatos de abdução por extraterrestres acaba ficando cansativo。 Se o livro tivesse umas 100 páginas a menos acho que ficaria bem melhor。Concordo que é um livro （assim como o mundo de Sofia） que deveria ser uma leitura obrigatória no ensino médio já que ressalta a importância do método científico e do pensamento cético。Apesar de amar o Sagan， dos 4 livros dele que já li， esse foi o que menos gostei。 。。。more

Matt ，

A fascinating and often troubling history of pseudoscience and superstition。

Julian Radford ，

The worst book I’ve ever read。

C。 Scott ，

Brilliant。。。 so much better than I expected！ This one took me a while to plow through， but I am very happy I stuck with it。 Sagan reels us in with stories about alien abduction and witch trials。 I enjoyed his logical parsing of what might really be happening and was impressed by his gearshift into comparative history。 There are some excellent arguments for bringing science to the masses。 He finally winds up with an impassioned plea for democracy and freedom of speech。 It was totally in my wheelh Brilliant。。。 so much better than I expected！ This one took me a while to plow through， but I am very happy I stuck with it。 Sagan reels us in with stories about alien abduction and witch trials。 I enjoyed his logical parsing of what might really be happening and was impressed by his gearshift into comparative history。 There are some excellent arguments for bringing science to the masses。 He finally winds up with an impassioned plea for democracy and freedom of speech。 It was totally in my wheelhouse and I loved it。 I would highly recommend this book to any other lover of knowledge。 。。。more

Peter Toth ，

I have just recently discovered how profound a scientist and educator Carl Sagan was。 This book was written just before his death in 1996， and gives an interesting glimpse into the US of the nineties and the science and politics of the 20th century in general。 It is certainly a great read for anyone who wants to understand more about science， critical thinking and well， western democracy in general。 Filled with anecdotes of an illustrious scientific and education career， this is very easy materi I have just recently discovered how profound a scientist and educator Carl Sagan was。 This book was written just before his death in 1996， and gives an interesting glimpse into the US of the nineties and the science and politics of the 20th century in general。 It is certainly a great read for anyone who wants to understand more about science， critical thinking and well， western democracy in general。 Filled with anecdotes of an illustrious scientific and education career， this is very easy material to get absorbed in。 The only place where the book is getting tedious is when Carl tries with all his might to discredit the concept of alien abductions。 It clearly was one of his personal crusades， but I had a feeling， if he had just halved that chapter and would have been less wanting to demolish the whole idea as nonsense， he would have been more successful。 The rest of the book was a great， eye-opening and very useful， again even if you're not into science， it is your personal best interest to understand democracy more， and this book does a superb job of that， although its main tenet is still to remain scientific。 I thoroughly recommend listening to the many interviews and any materials on Youtube that are available from Carl Sagan， one of the most profound scientists and educators of the 20th century。 。。。more

Alejandro Luna ，

En pleno 2021 cuando las teorías conspirativas ocupan las mentes de muchas personas， el pensamiento escéptico es más necesario que nunca。 Aunque el libro fue escrito hace casi 3 décadas， los demonios descritos en él siguen acechando a la humanidad en formas más diversas， disparatadas y peligrosas; maximizados por la masificación del uso de internet。 A mi parecer Carl Sagan dedica muchos capítulos al asunto de las abducciones extraterrestes， pero entiendo que en la década de los 90 esa era la "mo En pleno 2021 cuando las teorías conspirativas ocupan las mentes de muchas personas， el pensamiento escéptico es más necesario que nunca。 Aunque el libro fue escrito hace casi 3 décadas， los demonios descritos en él siguen acechando a la humanidad en formas más diversas， disparatadas y peligrosas; maximizados por la masificación del uso de internet。 A mi parecer Carl Sagan dedica muchos capítulos al asunto de las abducciones extraterrestes， pero entiendo que en la década de los 90 esa era la "moda"， como ahora lo es el terraplanismo， los antivacunas o QAnon。La desigualdad en el acceso a la ciencia y la desigiandad en la distribución de la riqueza como principales alimentos de los demonios son apenas abordados， pero abre la curiosidad a explorar otros autores que complementan estas ideas。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0