Rating: 
Summary: Sagan and Druyen prove their case quite well....
Review: The book rather successfully debunks the UFO abductions and Crop circle stories for the lack of any hard evidence that anyone of these cases has failed to prove. In short, people can be remembering false things under hynosis and circles can be created in wheat fields by people who know Geomentry. The book is also if you read between the lines, a formal protest against human xenaphobia that has been popularzied in so called Science Fiction TV shows and movies. The authors are saying that regretfully movies like 2001; A Space Odyssey, which they live and treat the universe as a large/wonderious place are rare, and the more popular ones like Alien promote fear and suspection among the general audience. I agree with that. In fact I agree with everything that they wrote in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Astronomer or Sociologist?
Review: Although Carl Sagan made a prominent name for himself as an Astronomer in the 1970's, his final contribution to the academic world was a piece that was very Sociological in nature. The thesis of the book is that America's obsession with science fiction and popular myth has curtailed the growth of the United States as a scientifically literate society. As such, Sagan's final work is laudable as one of the most poignant and effective commentaries on the Zeitgeist of American society at the turn of the 21st century.At the beginning of "Demon-haunted", Sagan comes across as a "killjoy", who is bitter about the seemingly innocuous pleasures that many Americans indulge themselves in (Star Trek, Atlantis, Crystal Power, etc.). He points out that at the time of the book's release, "Dumb and Dumber" was the number one movie in the box office. He also spins a wonderful anecdote about his cab driver who, upon finding out that Sagan is an Astronomer, tries to demonstrate upon Sagan his scientific "fluency" through his knowledge of "Atlantis". It all seems quite funny, until Sagan points out that the cab driver got quite frustrated when Sagan challenged his belief systems about the mythical island continent. With this wonderfully concrete example, Sagan renders the reader aware of how dangerous popular myths about science can be. As the book progresses, Sagan continually points out that a little diversion can be a dangerous thing. He points out that Americans in the 1990's would rather spend a day watching the X-files than studying real stellar constellations; or reading tripe about Atlantis, as opposed to reading scientific books about continnetal plate shift. Eventually, the "candle in the dark" analogy is revealed as an analogy for science in America, where beliefs in the supernatural often publically usurp real scientific fact. I think the thing that shocked me the most about this book was the fact that it wakes the reader up to the "dumbing down" of the American educational system, which Sagan implies, is a factor of the general American's willingness to believe just about anything that's entertaining. Of the more forboding points that Sagan makes, there is one that he is rightfully salient about. This is that "pure science" (that is science in its abstract form) is becoming replaced by "profit-oriented" science. To back his argument, he points out that almost none of the technology that we enjoy today would have been discovered if it were not for the pursuit of pure science. For example, he points out that without abstract study of magnetism and electricity, things such as radio and television would not be here. Like any good social theorist, Sagan ends this book with a series of solutions that could be enacted to further the pursuit of true science. First, he calls for a return to funding initiative for non-profit oriented scientific study. Second, he comments in passing that several opportunities are being missed by the educational system to teach children the priniples of true science by using the world around them as examples. For instance, at one point, he shows the applicability of basketball to physics. In sum, Sagan proves to be a brilliant Social Theorist.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars and then some
Review: Are we falling back into the Dark Ages? The symptoms point to yes: the new religion is not Christianity, but New-Age belief and the legitimizing of the paranormal. The brilliant scientist and writer, Carl Sagan, shows how we are comforting ourselves with mystic beliefs, but hurting society by turning our backs to science and opening our wallets to charletans, who say that to doubt them, is to be closed-minded and spiritually deficient. It is unfortuante that people go to absurd extremes to find solace in pseudoscience, but fail to learn about the beauty, truth and complexity that we have discovered in the natural world. Demon-Haunted World is well written, well-researched and potentially life-changing. (A sidenote: it was in this book that I discovered Sleep Paralysis, a sleeping disorder I had been suffering with for a year, all the while thinking that I had gone crazy or was having seizures. This disorder is responsible for many accounts of seeing demons centuries ago and UFO's in the past few decades. I saw neither, but can totally understand how one could attribute these "attacks" to the paranormal. This was a great first-hand lesson in how our bodies and senses can fool us.)
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected, but good
Review: I never really wanted to be a skeptic. There are times in my life where I wish I could have faith in something I can't explain. I love the idea of ghosts walking beside me. I am facinated by dreams of an advanced race of beings coming to earth and sharing their cosmic wisdom with us, helping to put an end to our bloody wars. So when I saw this book, I thought that it might help me decide once and for all where I stood. Am I a dreamer or a doubter? Take your best shot, Sagan.
Well, it wasn't what I expected. Sagan didn't come at me with each controversial theory and rip it apart with his scientific mind. He did do this on a limited basis, but that wasn't really the focus of the book. This isn't Penn and Teller. It really boils down Sagan trying to educate people on the power of thinking.
Did I agree with everything Sagan has to say on this subject? Of course not. Did Sagan help me decide which side of the fence I would live on? Nope. But this book did teach me about how to search for answers to things that I may accept without thinking, which seems the logical thing to do when people WANT to believe in something strongly enough. I also learned that searching for answers doesn't make you a cynic, just someone who likes to look before they leap.
If you decide to pick this book up, which I would recommend you do if the subject matter intests you, understanding what this book is and is not might help you in the long run. It's not a book debunking myths. It's more an illustration of Sagan's belief that those who think will achieve.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful, powerful, but disorganized
Review: I read a lot of criticizm of this book saying it doesn't debunk anything thouroughly. But I don't think it was ever intended to; this is not a UFO-theory-debunking book. It is a book about logic, thought, and scientific process in general. This is an excellent book for what it's intended. My only complaint is that it is somewhat disorganized. Rambling, you could say. The author begins treating a topic, wanders off in a series of tangents, and abrutply comes back to the original topic dozens of pages later. If the author was submitting this book for a college writing class, he'd probably get a C. Yet despite this, this book manages to deliver it's message powerfully and clearly, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A masterful plea for rationality
Review: In the first chapter of "Demon-Haunted World," Carl Sagan poses a thought-provoking rhetorical question: "Whose interest does ignorance serve?" An apt reply would be "No one we want to help." Charlatans, irrational ideologues, terrorists and dictators invariably benefit from a credulous and superficial public, but the results endanger everything valued by the rest of us, including our freedom. While his tone is sympathetic and humane, the author's case for critical thinking is urgent, firm and uncompromising.
Early on, Sagan addresses the seemingly paradoxical relationship between critical thinking and certainty. He points out that science, the discipline most strongly dependent on critical thought, nevertheless thrives on doubt, error and revision. Even mathematics, the scientific branch most likely to produce "eternal" truths, has to deal with controversy and uncertainty at its frontiers. The strength of science is rooted in its error detection mechanisms and a willingness to revise its views if warranted by experimental results. The net outcome is a structure that is messy at the edges ( the hubbub of today's findings) but solid at the core (a summation of results verified by feedback over time).
From many different angles, Sagan argues that pseudoscience and religion fall short for very clear and simple reasons: Pseudoscience either cannot produce enough data to allow proper judgments, or fails to evaluate critically the data it has. Religion sets up arbitrary principles, declares them sacred, and enters a state of ideological paralysis about their veracity. This pattern persists even when the "sacred" principles become readily testable (e.g. the configuration of the solar system, the origin and evolution of planet Earth, and the developmental history of living things). Thus religions tend to converge on a structure which is the inverse of science. At their outer edges, religions are strong in the sense that they provide social support and humanitarian services. The closer one approaches core values, however, the weaker religions become because of their adamant refusal to test and verify claims which intersect with observable reality.
Chapter 7, bearing the title of the book, traces the history of demonic phenomena from antiquity to the present-day exorcisms sanctioned by Rome. In a rather startling quote, Plato blithely describes demons as something like divine city councilmen sent by Jehovah to watch over mortals. The pathetic specter of demonology morphing into witch hunting still shocks with descriptions of persecution and execution via catch-22 rules that damn the accused no matter how they respond to charges. The Taliban would have loved it.
The only criticism I would make is that the book, written over nearly a decade, suffers a bit from sprawl and repetitiveness. But this detracts only a little from readability, and not at all from the value of Sagan's message. He really did see science as a candle in the dark that can help us learn to be skeptical, think critically, and use the priceless gift of intelligence wisely for the benefit of everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Life changing book
Review: Many are turned off by science since they find it to be cold, desenchanting or even a bit nihilistic. With a clever sense of humor and easy-to read writting style, Sagan proves that science can be an awe-inspiring spiritual experience, when we are confronted with the immense complexity of nature and our universe. He reminds us how to be a good skeptic: one who is open minded to new information, but will only believe after receiving proof. (Which consists of much more than anecdotal evidence )As Sagan states "I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." He urges everyone to think skeptically and to express our opinions while being respectfull of others' beliefs. Unfortunately those who would benefit from more skepticism are the ones less likely to pick up this book. It takes courage to abandon the comforts of an "all-loving" ever present god, immortality, and belief in psychic powers in exchange for the truth. However, Sagan shows us how science has greatly improved the quality of life throughout history, and how the systematic search for truth can be more rewarding than blinded-faith. We should be open minded("Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence") without being gullible. And we must remember how "wishfull thinking" does not make something true.
Rating:
Summary: Passion and Science
Review: Nowadays we have a polarized world. Nowadays means: since the middle age at least... In this book we learn the importance of skeptical thinking as the base for science and how to avoid this maniqueism, but, incredible!, its not turn science into a boring thing! Science, in fact, is more intriguing than most fiction books, and is the best way to the truth: this noble and never reached thing. Thanks to the Dr Sagan's passion many other people around the world are inspired by science. People like Dr Sagan should live forever: and, in a certain way, they do. Read the book and fall in love.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor debunking does not help his cause
Review: The book had some flawed lines of reasoning in it. Although the claims he was debunking may be flawed, his counter-arguments were also flawed. For example, he did a fair amount of "second-guessing" what alleged aliens and alien technology would look like.
For instance, alleged medical tools used on alleged alien abductees were claimed to be "too bulky" by Sagan to be realistic. He used a variation of Moores Law (computers get smaller with time) to concluded the saucer-pilots would have much smaller medical tools. For one, we don't know how long Moores Law will continue. Second, maybe the instruments pack in thousands of functions. You cannot tell the quantity of different operations by the size of an instrument alone. Third, maybe they use technology where the parts need to be separated to some degree, such as an X-ray or sonic lens or the like. You cannot use flawed logic to counter other's flawed logic; otherwise you are no better off than the "believers", and risk losing credibility as a debunker.
Another form of second-guessing is in the description of alleged aliens. Sagan insists that intelligent aliens would not likely look like humans in a general sense. However, maybe they are us in the distant future. Science has not ruled out time-travel. Maybe there are many species of aliens, but only those who resemble us are interested in visiting us, creating a kind of selection mechanism. We don't know enough to dismiss anything about the appearance of alleged "visitors".
Further, "incredible claims require incredible proof" was over-extended. Many of the more reasonable UFO buffs believe that more research is warranted, not some fantastic claim. The threshold for deserving more study is much lower than making a definitive conclusion about things observed (such as being "from other planets"). The only "claim" they are making is that something very odd is going on. Sagan conveniently intermixed the two at whim to serve his debunking needs. It is a general trend of his to lump everyone together with the extreme "nut-ball" claims. There are plenty of extremist scientists (now discredited) that one can similarly lump Sagan with if they want to play a similar game.
Even if UFOs are just hallucinations, the fact that honest pilots and cops can have such vivid hallucinations (beyond mere "jumping lights" in many cases) is an interesting scientific question in itself. Letting pilots and cops hallucinate without knowing why is not smart science and perhaps bad for our safety. He is more focused on debunking than learning.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but limited
Review: The Demon-Haunted World is a good read if for no other reason than that it is written in Carl Sagan's usual engaging style. Sagan is a wonderful storyteller... As an antidote to popular misunderstandings, the book will probably be less successful. Anybody who has the intellectual wherewithal or ambition to read a 400-page book on critical thinking probably already has enough common sense to doubt alien abduction stories.
Sagan's audience will largely consist of the already-converted.
But The Demon-Haunted World is most interesting as a curious example of skeptical thinking naively taught. Exhorting the reader to skeptical thnking in all fields, it does not seem to have occurred to Sagan that the reader might train his newly acquired skeptical guns on the author himself. Sagan wishes to aim the skeptical blunderbuss primarily at the more vulgar examples of popular belief such as crop circles, astrology, etc. But the book is also larded with Sagan's views on a wide range of controversial issues such as global warming, overpopulation and arms control. Far from issuing invitations to skeptical inquiry into his self-confident assertions in these areas, Sagan seems to assume that no reasonable person would ever doubt them. He includes a section of mea culpas for his past errors, but these are restricted to mistakes on arcane scientific issues and include no examples from the cultural or political issues on which he passionately wrote.
The book ends with a ringing call-to-arms to employ critical thinking in addressing the problems that face the world. The reader is well-advised to listen to Sagan, but may wish to skeptically evaluate Sagan's views as well as everybody else's.
|
