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

Sep 08, 2010 Rusty rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, prose, history, religion, science

*Apr 19, 2023
Still the best. At this point his more dire worries about future generations of people in the U.S. are starting to feel somewhat prophetic.

*Oct 5, 2017*
I read this again. Funny, I read this the first time somewhere around 2000, and I read it along with several other of Sagan's books, Cosmos, Broca's Brain, Pale Blue Dot, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors... maybe a few others too, I can't recall, and it was during that blurry couple of weeks that I was borrowing heavily from the libra *Apr 19, 2023
Still the best. At this point his more dire worries about future generations of people in the U.S. are starting to feel somewhat prophetic.

*Oct 5, 2017*
I read this again. Funny, I read this the first time somewhere around 2000, and I read it along with several other of Sagan's books, Cosmos, Broca's Brain, Pale Blue Dot, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors... maybe a few others too, I can't recall, and it was during that blurry couple of weeks that I was borrowing heavily from the library instead of purchasing books, so I don't know what else of his I may have read. But what makes all that funny is that in my head all of those books were sort of jumbled up in my head as a single work. I remember specific passages that weren't in there when I read it this time.

Dumb brain.

However, I still found it moving. He spends a lot of time discussing alien abductions and crop circles, two types of very popular conspiracies in the 90's that aren't really talked about as much anymore. So all those chapters going over those points don't feel as timely now as they did 20 years ago when this book was released.

If he were writing it today he might be dealing more with religious fundamentalism and anti-vaccination, or anti-GMO concerns that the larger public seems to be dealing with. But the beauty of this book is that he's trying to focus on how we think about new information, whether it sounds plausible or ridiculous. So while he does go over why he thinks alien made crop circles and alien abductions are problematic (we all know I'm talking about SPACE aliens, right? Not neighbors from a nearby country) and don't meet the criteria of good evidence, the larger lessons are applicable to any claim we hear about, regardless of what it is.

So, it's dated a bit, but this book is more responsible for my outlook in life than any other I can possibly think of. I miss Carl Sagan and wish he were still around.

*Sept 8, 2010*
I can't recommend this highly enough. This book is a trusty old friend to me. I've purchased it many times as a gift for others and it has influenced me greatly over the course of my life.

Of course it is really a view into the mind of Carl Sagan and he discusses religion, God, spirituality, and his skeptism, in great detail. The tone of the book isn't condescending or too highbrow. But the subject matter is a touchy one. You might disagree with his conclusions, but it's hard to argue with his reasoning.

Very controversial - very enlightening. ...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Kaylana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: religion, nonfiction, science, critical-thinking, read-2010

Carl Sagan really knows how to write. He's able to really talk to the layperson. I feel he's very objective when it comes to religion and he makes outstanding arguments when it comes to pseudoscience: how to think, what logical fallacies are and how to use them in order to understand what's going on around us. He calls it the Baloney Detection Kit.

I've thoroughly enjoyed everything he's written that I've read and look forward to more. ...more

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