A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace
“A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought.”—Los Angeles Times
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.
A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace
“A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought.”—Los Angeles Times
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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Find The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark Carl Sagan in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Find The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark Carl Sagan in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
5 books in catalog
Bridging rigorous planetary astronomy and popular science communication, non-fiction literature about the universe achieved unprecedented public reach through books like Cosmos. Carl Sagan transformed complex concepts in astrophysics, planetary science, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence into accessible, evocative prose for readers worldwide.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1934, Sagan developed a fascination with astronomy during childhood after learning that stars were distant suns. He pursued higher education at the University of Chicago, earning degrees in physics, astronomy, and astrophysics. Early in his academic career, he served as an assistant professor at Harvard University before moving to Cornell University in 1968. At Cornell, he became the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and directed the Laboratory for Planetary Studies.
Beyond his academic faculty responsibilities, Sagan played an active role in the American space program from its earliest decades. He served as a NASA consultant starting in the late 1950s, briefed Apollo astronauts, and made critical research contributions to the Mariner, Viking, Pioneer, and Voyager missions. He helped design the interstellar messages affixed to the Pioneer plaque and Voyager Golden Record, and co-founded The Planetary Society to advocate for space exploration. In 1983, he also co-authored research on the atmospheric consequences of nuclear war, introducing the concept of nuclear winter.
Sagan's writing combines scientific precision with humanist philosophy, emphasizing empirical reasoning, critical thinking, and the wonder of scientific discovery. His non-fiction works frequently explore planetary science, the origins of life, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, encouraging readers to view humanity from a cosmic perspective. In works like The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, he advocated for skepticism and scientific literacy as vital defenses against pseudoscience and dogmatism.
In addition to his prolific science writing, Sagan authored the 1985 science fiction novel Contact (also published internationally as Contacto), which grounded speculative interstellar communication in realistic physics, radio astronomy, and political diplomacy. Across both fiction and non-fiction, including Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: Earth Before Human, he consistently examined human origins, evolutionary history, and the moral responsibilities that accompany technological progress.
5 books in catalog
Bridging rigorous planetary astronomy and popular science communication, non-fiction literature about the universe achieved unprecedented public reach through books like Cosmos. Carl Sagan transformed complex concepts in astrophysics, planetary science, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence into accessible, evocative prose for readers worldwide.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1934, Sagan developed a fascination with astronomy during childhood after learning that stars were distant suns. He pursued higher education at the University of Chicago, earning degrees in physics, astronomy, and astrophysics. Early in his academic career, he served as an assistant professor at Harvard University before moving to Cornell University in 1968. At Cornell, he became the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and directed the Laboratory for Planetary Studies.
Beyond his academic faculty responsibilities, Sagan played an active role in the American space program from its earliest decades. He served as a NASA consultant starting in the late 1950s, briefed Apollo astronauts, and made critical research contributions to the Mariner, Viking, Pioneer, and Voyager missions. He helped design the interstellar messages affixed to the Pioneer plaque and Voyager Golden Record, and co-founded The Planetary Society to advocate for space exploration. In 1983, he also co-authored research on the atmospheric consequences of nuclear war, introducing the concept of nuclear winter.
Sagan's writing combines scientific precision with humanist philosophy, emphasizing empirical reasoning, critical thinking, and the wonder of scientific discovery. His non-fiction works frequently explore planetary science, the origins of life, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, encouraging readers to view humanity from a cosmic perspective. In works like The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, he advocated for skepticism and scientific literacy as vital defenses against pseudoscience and dogmatism.
In addition to his prolific science writing, Sagan authored the 1985 science fiction novel Contact (also published internationally as Contacto), which grounded speculative interstellar communication in realistic physics, radio astronomy, and political diplomacy. Across both fiction and non-fiction, including Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: Earth Before Human, he consistently examined human origins, evolutionary history, and the moral responsibilities that accompany technological progress.
