Rating: 
Summary: Are faith and scientific rigor mutually exclusive?
Review: This is a must-read for anyone who has struggled with the conflicts between belief and proven fact. While Dr. Sagan may be too rigid in holding to the rigors of scientific proof, he nevertheless makes a very cogent argument for the use of his "baloney detection kit" when it comes to analyzing both ancient and modern-day myths. Carl draws a very clean line among the ancient myths of demons, the Inquisition, Salem witch hunting, slavery, and today's claims of alien abductions. He hits on some very deep natures of the human experience without over drilling his case. The tools of analysis that he uses are immediately useful for those of us who have been challenged with how to reconcile the differences between faith and fact-based deductive reasoning. Throughout the book Carl does a wonderful job of both enlightening through analytical tools and educating by the many scientific examples that he uses to make his case.
Rating:
Summary: Sagan's legacy
Review: Carl Sagan was one of the best popularizers of science in the last 100 years. This book is his legacy. Anyone interested in science should read this book and understand the pitfalls of believing in the absence of evidence. Sagan correctly points out that mysticism is haunting the US and science is being forced into the background. Too often science is viewed as a grand conspiracy and many fail to understand the success of cautious and tentative science. Humans crave the certainty of mysticism and religion. Science is all about making you uncomfortable. Sagan accurately depicts the asymptotic approach to truth rooted in modern science and why this makes humans uncomfortable. This book will make you re-examine what you KNEW was true.
Rating:
Summary: Skeptics unite!
Review: Chapter 12 of this book should be required reading by just about everyone. A baloney detection kit is a definite requirement for science, politics, religion and ethics. This is a terrific book about thinking.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and intellectually satisfying
Review: Carl Sagan does it again with his rational yet passionate style of writing. This book deals with critical thinking and its falling from grace in many contemporary societies. The author discusses the appearance of these "demons" of uncontrolled pseudo-science, holistic, alternative approaches in many facets of our everyday lives. He stresses on the merits of scientific impartiality and warns us from the calamities these so called "demons" could bring on our societies. The interesting thing about Mr.Sagan's approach is that he doesn't claim that scientific reasoning has all the answers. Neither does he claim that other approaches are completely false. On the one hand, throughout human history, once regarded "magical" phenomenon is eventually explained. On the other hand he asks us to "keep an open mind but not let our brains fall out" when dealing with such phenomenon that is yet to be understood scientifically. He pleads with us not to lose our patience with today's scientific community despite its faults. Mr. Sagan is one of the most brilliant writers of our generation and this book is yet another one of his exciting and stimulating masterpieces.
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: It seems I find myself wondering about our society's critical thinking skills ever more frequently. It is amazing to me how quickly people turn over control of their lives to spirits, gods, aliens, Lady Luck; or rather to people claiming to speak for any of these. John Stossel seems to be the sole voice of reason on TV as the various networks air "specials" that are friendly to claims of the paranormal and supernatural. The burden of proof seems to have changed from requiring that believers prove a claim to forcing skeptics to disprove a claim. "In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover and wickedness insensibly open, cultivate and improve. Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositories. And to render even them safe, their minds must be improved." This quote from Thomas Jefferson's "Notes on Virginia", which is not provided until the end of the book, well summarizes what Carl Sagan is trying to do with "The Demon-Haunted World". It is Sagan's view that the world is experiencing a crisis of skepticism, that it is a tool too rarely used. The cause for this would seem to be a move away from teaching, and understanding, the scientific method. The first part of the book is devoted to examining the philosophical aspects of skepticism and the scientific method. As should be expected of any professor, Sagan tries to instruct through application, and the example closest to him is the alien issue. Carl Sagan had a long academic interest in the possibilities of non-terrestrial life. I can imagine, and it is hinted at in the book, that every person who believes we are visited daily beat a path to his door. What a coup to have such a respected scientist believe in alien abduction. Sagan of course believed no such thing. He was capable of making the distinction between a scientific probability of extraterrestrial life and the lack of scientific evidence that such life has ever visited Earth.The first half of the book is focused on showing just how empty such claims are when exposed to a skeptical spotlight. What separates this book from other skeptical works is that it doesn't just dismiss such beliefs as contemptible and below consideration. If the polls are correct then millions of people worldwide have been abducted by aliens and millions more believe them; we can't just dismiss them all as deficient. If we are going to claim that all these people are delusional then we are required to provide evidence (just as they are to prove they were abducted). Carl Sagan does address these issues, and does so admirably. The second portion of the book focuses on why scientific methods are not being applied and how this can be rectified. This is really the most optimistic part of the book as it rejects all claims that science is too hard for most people or too complex; that science is against the nature of man and we are predisposed to mysticism. Instead, Sagan claims that, if anything, scientific thought is an evolutionary feature that distinguishes primates in general and humanity in particular. It was the scientific method that discovered that hitting two stones together could start a fire; it was scientific exploration that lead to new and better stone axes; it was inter-generational scientific experimentation that lead to Amazonian tribes figuring out that tea from the bark of a certain tree prevented malaria. These "primitives" may not have been using what we would recognize as science, but a method of organized discovery was employed. Rather than being a species of mystics who need science forced on them, it is Sagan's view that we are all innate scientists, and most of us have had science withheld. For evidence of this, look to your average four-year-old who is constantly trying to figure out why things are they way they are. Many parents, not knowing the answers avoid the questions and simply say "just because." Then the child goes to a school that is forced to focus on tangential issues, such as teaching driver's ed, with the result that very little time is spent on teaching cognitive methods. Students that, despite this, excel at intellectual endeavors are then portrayed as geeks or nerds. These trends, are what Carl Sagan is really arguing against. The final few chapters of the book deal with why it is so important to maintain a skeptical scientific tradition. If most people want to believe in alien abductions, if this belief fulfills some basic emotional psychological need, then what is wrong with believing? The response to this is that it has always been the lack of skepticism or the effective limiting of skepticism that has allowed many of the world's tyrannies. If ideas and beliefs are accepted without criticism then we are all pawns in the hands of those feeding us the ideas. "The Demon-Haunted World" is a forceful call for everyone to take control of their lives, to question all ideas and beliefs, even those coming from science. I have read several books promoting skepticism and this one is definitely the most accessible to any reader; I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: I am a non-scientist who is interested in science,so...
Review: The Demon Haunted World is quite enjoyable. Carl Sagan believes it is important to take the time to explain, for layman like myself. He is pretenious at times but he doesn't talk down & makes complicated subjects clear. This book is not for people who cannot change their pre-conceptions or do not have a curiosity for worlds they are not trained for. People who cling to pseudo-science, faith healing, channeling, alien abductions etc. are probably not reading Carl Sagan in any case. Carl Sagan, more than anyone wants to believe in alien visitation but real evidence is not there. He is persuasive in his faith in science over that of a supreme being. However, they are not mutually exclusive. One requires proof, the other, faith. Every time I read or hear something by Carl Sagan, I want more. Unfortunately, this is it.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book
Review: Love this book. Sagan presents his ideas logically and thoughtfully. The only problem with it is that Sagan seams to believe there is NO hope for human without science and scientific education. And that is not entirely true. Without science, we will be in the dark, sure, but we will still be around. Skepticism and Wonder, howeve, do make the world that much more iridescent. This book should be a must read for every high school and college student. The book is not writen for scientists, but for the general public.
Rating: 
Summary: More disappointed than amused
Review: Carl Sagan's essays on science are usually quite entertaining and revealing but I felt this book was subpar with regard to this author's talents. I found that I wanted to continue reading the book to its completion but often came across quite a few areas that were either misleading or irritating. As an example of the former, I found that there was a political undertone in almost every chapter even though the author doesn't admit to any political content until the last two chapters. He also doesn't seem to address the fact that, during the "witch hunts/burnings/trials", many male witches were also burned or tortured, or that a woman's dream - and subsequent interpretation - may have started some of the "witch hunting" ( for instance in Salem ). Which leads to the latter complaint - irritating areas. Mr. Sagan drums into our skulls the "witch hunts/burnings/trials" analogy so often in the book in order to make a point that it becomes predictable. And the usual villians - e.g., the Catholic Church - are thrown on the carpet and taken to task. It would seem that a man of Mr. Sagan's abilities could have been more diverse in his analogies and analyis - some of the same conclusion are drawn over and over again. I was hoping for more science, must like what he accomplished in his earlier work, "Broca's Brain". And some science is indeed here, with excellent chapters like "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection". He also debunks many pseudosciences, which is of use in this age of irrationalility. Still, I think Carl Sagan could have done better and achieved much more with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just for Scientists
Review: Sagan writes clearly and engagingly about the unexamined beliefs held by many, both now and in the past. Others have attacked or defended these beliefs, but Sagan does it with a grace and generosity of spirit that appear virtually nowhere else in the arguments for or against such things as alien abduction, psychic powers, and supernatural entities. That is, Sagan truly seems to want to share his knowledge and his regard for scientific inquiry with the whole world. And yet, he doesn't let that fervent desire close his mind to unplumbed possibilities. Other reviewers of this work charge Sagan with having lost his sense of wonder and with a disregard for anything unprovable by scientific methods. On the contrary, Sagan's untrammeled sense of wonder appears again and again in this book. He's not afraid to say what he doesn't know, what he'd like to find out, and what science hasn't been able to prove or disprove. On the other hand, he is passionate in his defense of logic and his insistence on the value of evidence. In fact, his primary attack seems to be on those who fail to see the value of evidence, or even to consider it when deciding what to accept as true. I've organized a college composition class around this book, because it is an excellent vehicle for the teaching of argument. Not just scholarly arguments, but also the kind of argument that we do all day, every day, as we make the millions of decisions that define our lives. In fact, Sagan might have called his book "A Manual for Life." Everyone who lives on the earth in the 21st century should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: This book makes one think.
Review: Critical thinking is the main topic of this book. Why should we think critically, and what is the danger if society as a whole just accept everything on face value without asking hard questions? This book is not for people who seek casual entertainment. It asks the readers to question what they see, hear, and read in daily life. Accepting base on irrefutable evidence and facts, rather than on hear-say or faith.
| 
