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Praise for The Demon-Haunted World

“Powerful . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing.”-The Washington Post Book World

“Compelling.”-USA Today

“A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity.”-The Sciences

“Passionate.”-San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

Preface: My Teachersp. xi
The Most Precious Thingp. 1
Science and Hopep. 23
The Man in the Moon and the Face on Marsp. 41
Aliensp. 61
Spoofing and Secrecyp. 79
Hallucinationsp. 97
The Demon-Haunted Worldp. 113
On the Distinction Between True and False Visionsp. 135
Therapyp. 151
The Dragon in My Garagep. 169
The City of Griefp. 189
The Fine Art of Baloney Detectionp. 201
Obsessed with Realityp. 219
Antisciencep. 245
Newton's Sleepp. 265
When Scientists Know Sinp. 281
The Marriage of Skepticism and Wonderp. 293
The Wind Makes Dustp. 307
No Such Thing as a Dumb Questionp. 319
House on Firep. 337
The Path to Freedomp. 353
Significance Junkiesp. 367
Maxwell and the Nerdsp. 379
Science and Witchcraftp. 401
Real Patriots Ask Questionsp. 421
Acknowledgmentsp. 435
Referencesp. 439
Indexp. 449
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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.