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

Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is essential for making informed decisions in an increasingly technology-driven world and for maintaining democratic institutions. He examines how to distinguish between pseudoscience, New Age thinking, and fundamentalist beliefs versus testable scientific hypotheses. Drawing on history and culture, Sagan addresses celebrated fallacies including witchcraft, faith healings, demons, and UF Os, demonstrating how they lack scientific basis. He observes that despite living in an information age, pseudoscience continues to grow in influence, with claims about alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations gaining attention. Sagan contends that the appeal of unreason represents not merely a cultural misstep but a serious threat to fundamental freedoms.