| The Demon-Haunted World / Carl Sagan | ||||||||||
| Reviewed by Tal Cohen | Saturday, 12 July 1997 | |||||||||
The Demon-Haunted World is part of a fight against pseudo-science, a fight held by Carl Sagan, D.R. Hofstadter, Martin Gardner, Richard Dawkins, L. Sprague de Camp, Stephen J. Gould, Marvin Minsky, and the many other members of CSICOP: the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (the name is read “Sci-Cop”, as in “Science Cop”. The March/April 1997 issue of the CSICOP magazine, The Skeptical Inquirer, was dedicated to the memory of Carl Sagan, which passed away in late 1996). In this book, Sagan systematically shows the foulness of most claims for paranormal and unnatural events, including UFOs, future-telling, alien abductions, and others. As a “skeptical”, most of these were not new to me: I never did believe in UFOs. (My home town, Netanya, was once excited for a week due to “UFOs”, flying objects with blinking lights appearing every night in the sky, and seen by dozens of people. IDF Airforce planes detected nothing in the area. Local newspapers went mad. Eventually, they found the teenagers who flew some kites with blinking lights on them.)
However, in addition to the common aspects of pseudo-science, the book points to another foul practice. Generally considered a science, I now consider it to be illegitimate pseudo-science: psychoanalysis (at least in the way it is currently practiced). Sagan shows how therapists use suggestive methods to convince their clients of things that never were, and blames this “science” for many of the alien-abduction (as well as child abuse) stories. Some of the facts he presents are really shocking. Another good thing about the book is that it provides solid answers, for people who disbelieve in UFOs and suchlike, that they can use whenever arguments arise. It is quite hard to contradict “proofs” like video-films of “surgeries in alien bodies”, and similar “indisputable evidence”. Sagan pinpoints the faults of most of these “evidences”. But the greatest weakness of the book, I’m afraid, lies in the fact that it will convince very few believers of pseudo-science to abandon their beliefs. While The Demon-Haunted World is a good reading for serious people, few of the reckless “new-agers” will take it seriously.
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Jim Rutherford
writes: The Dragon in My Garage Sagan's chapter ''The Dragon in my Garage'' was derived from the book ''Overcoming the Myth of Self-Worth: Reason and Fallacy in What You Say to Yourself'' by Richard L. Franklin. More info: http://www.mythofself-worth.com |
| [663] Posted on Thursday, 20 January 2011 at 23:52 GMT [Reply to this] [Permalink] |
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Hierax
writes: ''good reading for serious people''? ''While The Demon-Haunted World is a good reading for serious people, few of the reckless ?new-agers? will take it seriously.'' But is the reverse true? I mean, if I don´t take it seriously, am I a ''reckless ''new-ager''''? Because it´s very hard to me to take seriously this kind of apocalyptical discourse - astrologers/homeopaths/acupuncturists/religious people & non-materialists of all kinds will destroy civilization and usher the world in a new dark age, a ''world haunted by demons''. This is not science, it is ideology. |
| [709] Posted on Thursday, 14 July 2011 at 15:50 GMT [Reply to this] [Permalink] |
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Tal Cohen
writes in reply to Hierax: ''good reading for serious people''? It isn't a prophecy book; it outlines a risk, which I believe to be very real. |
| [710] Posted on Thursday, 14 July 2011 at 19:14 GMT [Reply to this] [Permalink] |
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Brandon
writes: Absolute wisdom, IMO The Demon-Haunted World is life from Sagan's, well-knowledge, perspective. It is absolute wisdom, in my opinion. Sagan explains to the reader why we think, see and hear things that are of mystery. The book is not really about UFO's or aliens. Those are just references to the mysteries of our current time (Chapter 7; The Demon-Haunted World). Sagan outlines science vs pseudo-science. Demon-Haunted World is the most serious read I've ever encountered. I've related to Sagan's perspective, well before I even knew of him, and I just happen to find this book. My general understanding of the book: Everything is about the questions, the evidence or lack thereof, and the answers. How I look at it is that knowledge and wisdom is from the practice of the ''scientific method''. No question is wrong until it has been proven law, using the scientific method. Embrace and enjoy the mysteries of life. |
| [735] Posted on Wednesday, 16 May 2012 at 16:57 GMT [Reply to this] [Permalink] |
©1997-2022 by Tal Cohen, all rights reserved. [About]
We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.