Demon-Haunted World

A good read for person who wants to understand how science works...not by miracles and not by claiming to have answers for everything.

Like other wonderful science write ups by Carl Sagan, this book is also a pleasure to read. It shatters some of the myths and superstitions which even the educated people believed . Carl Sagan in his inimitable, simple style demolished many of the demons in this world. His objective analysis and scientific pursuit in mysteries such as the existing of flying saucers or mysterious crop circles prompts readers to approach matters in a scientific manner before blindly believing in their existence. At times, he goes back to his childhood and college days and shares his nostalgic memories in pursuit of truth behind the science. Recommended for all students, especially those who are interested in scientific investigations of mysterious matters that puzzle our mind. Prem

This book provides a sense and perspective for understanding the fundamental reality of our existence and characteristics of living. While teaching the so called “Skepticism” , it opens the door to understand inexplicable human fallibility. Everyone must keep Carl Sagan’s “baloney detection kit”, so that we can make better decisions on irrational things existing in our society. It humbled me down in many areas. It really did. Tons of facts and truths debunking the illogical accusations and fallacies of science, religion, economy, politics and philosophy. Sense of enlightenment guaranteed. A must read. An absolute delight!

It's an interesting book by Carl Sagan! Informative and helpful in seeing things in different perspectives!

There are very few books that leave a lasting impression on a reader and this is one of them. This book addresses critical questions about the universe, fallible tabloids, hallucination and so much more. The beauty of carl sagan's mind is that he has always been curious about the things which others feel are ignorant and refuse to research or make efforts to dig deeper. Critical thinking and Skepticism are the mosy essential tools and each every human being should use to live a life with provable facts and theories not the religious books ambiguity.

The grand-daddy of all books on Skepticism and rational thinking, and how these two can keep us from falling prey to pseudoscience. A must-read for anyone intending to learn how to think. The chapters enumerating various logical fallacies and the illuminating accounts of lives of James Maxwell, James Randi, Thomas Jefferson, and Frederick Douglass are brilliant. There is so much good stuff packed densely in this book. Not a single line is boring. A real treat of a book. Highly recommended.

If you are preparing for any compititive exam involving heavy vocab, this is the book to read and utilise newly learned words. Plus the discussion in this books are comprehensive.

Just read it… you will evolve…

Excelente o livro. Entrega feita no prazo e em perfeitas condições.

Chi non conosce Carl Sagan, lo apprezzerà perché scoprirà in Sagan, un uomo di scienza, un grande comunicatore, un uomo umile che si è scontrato più volte con una comunità scientifica sorda e cieca ("effetto Sagan"). Chi conosce Carl Sagan, rimarrà colpito dalla sua scrittura e dalla verve dell'uomo prima che dello scienziato. Il ragionamento. La dialettica. Lo stile. Il testo scorre fluido ed è di grande interesse. Non risulta essere eccessivamente prolisso nella trattazione di temi, anzi. Riesce a stimolare il lettore con aneddoti e suggestioni che attecchiranno dove troveranno un lettore curioso e interessato. Si discosta un po' da Cosmos e da altri libri di Sagan ma segue un filone necessario per ogni scienziato, separare e quindi discriminare cosa è un ragionamento scientifico da cosa non lo è. Non applicando una superiorità da scientismo ma facendo cura a non sprofondare nella credenza tautologica delle cose. Per Sagan, le cose non sono quelle che sono perché sono. Se lo sono, occorre capire perché. Molto simile a Feynman per stile. Consigliato sia a chi volesse leggere un libro di divulgazione scientifica, sia chi debba e voglia approfondire la sua conoscenza con un'amico scomparso troppo presto ma che ha lasciato al mondo una grande eredità. Sconsigliato a chi rietiene che la verità sia una e solo una, a chi non vede altri che il proprio modo di vedere le cose, a chi ha paura di incamminarsi verso una strada che non avrà direzioni e per questo le avrà tutte.

I sit before my computer, typing out a review of what is my favorite book. I’m daunted by the magnitude of this task, having just finished the book for the fourth or maybe fifth time. I wish I could remember when I bought this book, likely close to a decade ago, but I’m sure that I must have been awestruck to discover a book written by a man who has influenced my life and my interests to such a great extent. One of the great memories of my early life was that of waiting to plop down in front of the TV set for a few Sunday nights in 1980, as our PBS station aired a thirteen part series called Cosmos. Accompanied at the TV by my mom and grandmother, Cosmos captured my imagination in ways that will last my whole life. It was a series not merely discussing outer space, but in fact, it addressed the history of humanity’s understanding of our place in the world, the universe, and in life. Why is the memory of a TV show so incredibly dear to me? I could say that the show opened my mind to concepts and philosophies and possibilities that I never imagined, and that’d be a fair and true statement. What really makes the series so pivotal in my life, though, is that I shared such a formative experience with my mom and my grandmother; two people to whom I owe my life, my intelligence, and, hopefully without too much hyperbole, my essential spirit. At the age of nine, it’s not very likely to imagine that I would have planted myself in front of a television tuned to PBS on a Sunday evening, but the patient guidance and love of my mom and grandmother gave me the gift of knowledge and wonder. Needless to say, I’ve always been partial to the works of Dr. Carl Sagan. Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark is the first work of Dr. Sagan’s that I’ve read as an adult and in the many years I’ve owned this book, I’ve read it at least four times. Why re-read a book so often? The answer is found in my reverence of the book’s message, its point, and its passion. Not only have I read it often, but I have made an irregularly observed tradition to start each new year with a fresh reading. At least three times, I’ve picked the book up within hours of watching the ball drop in Times Square, heralding in the new year. Many who know me, already know this is my favorite book, but I’m deeply challenged when I’m asked what the book is about, and several paragraphs into my review, I’m probably overdue in attempting to answer this exact question. In this book, Dr. Carl Sagan tackles one of the key problems facing our time, as well as repeated throughout the history of our civilization, and that is the propensity for humanity to delve into our darkest superstitions and most bleak behaviors when our knowledge or ego is challenged. It seems that throughout the history of our species, we’ve turned our backs on critical thought and skepticism at times when those with claims to power and zealotry and wealth have found it advantageous and profitable to subvert the masses. Why discuss witch burnings and crop circles and claims of government coverups of alien abductions from 50 years ago? The answer lies in the here and now. At a time when every facet of our daily lives revolves around technology; when each and every human being lives under the threat of annihilation by nuclear weapons; when communications are global but subject to being monitored in violation of the founding documents of our nation (granted this is a problem that would occur years after Sagan’s death, yet it’s exactly the type of behavior Sagan speaks of), we find that critical thought wanes in the population of our own nation, not to mention that of the entire world. Credulity and old habits creep into our consciousness. Our world, our freedoms, and our lives come under attack. Go to the movies and watch ghosts haunt a house or watch the undead torment campers in the woods. Turn on the TV, and you’re likely to find tales of alien spacecraft being hidden by the government. You’re equally likely to channel surf past a shopping network selling new age crystals. But where on broadcast television are you likely to find a substantive debate on issues of education or technology? Where do you see educational programming talking about the technology that engulfs our very lives? As Sagan points out, imagine the irony that kids can watch a cartoon about a prehistoric family with a dinosaur for a pet (I actually protest... I enjoyed the Flintstones!), but may never have the opportunity to watch a show about the invention or technology of television, itself! At what cost to our freedoms, will we accept great claims without great proof? What decisions do we as a world culture need to make to grow and prosper and what can we learn from our history, replete with credulity and domination and fear mongering? Should we shrink from the challenges of education and critical thinking, what price will we pay? Will it be our personal or national economic stability? Will we see our freedoms curtailed (as if we haven’t witnessed that already)? Or will we pay with the extinction of our species? The thesis as I understand it, of this book is that we, as a culture and society, may be repeating a common mistake of our history: accepting a diminution of our critical thinking skills at our own distinct peril. Because of the threats we face though, this time we stand at these crossroads at possibly the least opportune of times. Throughout history, those in power or those who seek it, have abused our fears and used them to control the masses to their own advantage or profit. This book begs to serve as a wake up call to anyone willing to accept the challenge not only to read it, but to deeply ponder each of its points and positions. It offers the methods of critical thought as the grand lighthouse by which we can safely steer our course through the treacherous times and malevolent forces we face. Dr. Sagan, true to the book’s title, offers the methods of science as a candle in the darkness in men’s souls. This book occupies a special place in my life, as I’ve stated. I believe that this is a book of such enormous importance, that it should be required reading in every senior level high school class in the country. It may not be comfortable reading, and Dr. Sagan wrote on an astronomically high reading level (forgive the pun, as Dr. Sagan was of course a world renown astronomer) that it may take weeks or months to fully drink in the material, but the discussion that Dr. Sagan presented are vital. The arguments he presents are vital to our intellect, our freedom, and to our humanity. For making me think and contemplate, reading after reading, this book scores five stars.

Muy buen producto

Excellent. Dommage que ce livre n'ait pas été traduit en français.