Why Carl Sagan's 1995 book 'The Demon-Haunted World' remains essential reading for critical thinkers today
By
Leah Crane
Summary
A review and reflection on Carl Sagan's 1995 book "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark," which argues that the book remains highly relevant today. The article highlights how Sagan presciently warned about the decline of critical thinking, the rise of misinformation, and the dangers of pseudoscience in a world increasingly driven by information economies. The book serves as a guide to distinguishing truth from lies and maintaining scientific skepticism, with many passages going viral for their seemingly prophetic descriptions of modern societal challenges.
Source
Twitter / XWhy Carl Sagan's 1995 book 'The Demon-Haunted World' remains essential reading for critical thinkers todaynewscientist.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledI have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key notions of its citizens are blurred.
Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking.
The demon-haunted world of the title is one where superstition and pseudoscience have taken hold, and critical thinking has been abandoned.
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