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The Demon-Haunted World

Science As a Candle in the Dark

by Carl Sagan

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The legendary scientist shares his views of how scientific thinking is necessary to safeguard our democratic institutions and our technical civilization.

Available editions of The Demon-Haunted World

	9780394535128, Hardcover, Random House Inc, 1996 $9.95 (New) Other copies of 9780394535128

	9781561002740, Audio Cassette, Brilliance Audio Lib Edn, 1996 $34.78 (New ) Other copies of 9781561002740

	9781561004423, Audio Cassette, Brilliance Audio, 1996 None currently available

	9781561006496, Audio Cassette, Brilliance Audio, 1996 $19.42 (Good) Other copies of 9781561006496

	9780345409461, Paperback, Ballantine Books, 1997 $5.79 (Very Good) Other copies of 9780345409461

Publisher Notes

Disturbingly, in our so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning, with alien abduction, "channeling" past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. In this compellingly brilliant new book, Carl Sagan argues that this is not just a cultural wrong turn, but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks modern pseudoscience, as well as such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. By doing so, he demonstrates that true scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth, but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.

Media Reviews

"Sagan has produced a valuable document on the side of scientific civilization and enlightened progress."

Customer Reviews

on Jun 6 2007, ACP Family Bookstore said:

"I first read this book when it was new, enjoying it immensely. With Biblio, a used copy is a bargain. In the years now passed, "The Demon-Haunted World" has lost none of its value. Thanks to the wisdom and writing skill of its author, Carl Sagan, this book is a delightful refutation of the superstition that pervades many societies. His "baloney-detector" is classic; it can be compared to the logic courses provided in many first-year studies in Catholic colleges. On the one hand, the Christian faith and its elucidation, theology, uses its own method of thinking. Certainly, in the Catholic and the neo-scholastic tradition in particular, sound theology can stand up well, to the thinking person. For example, the Catholic Church, since the early twentieth century, has not only accepted evolution but provided a sensible rationale for it from the standpoint of faith. That rationale is based on a biblical hermeneutic that's very different from that of the Protestant fundamentalists. Should the author of this book be exposed to such theology, I think he would be open to it. On the other hand, Sagan is a master at expounding his own empirical philosophy and the scientific method itself. Both philosophy and method are critical for proper experimentation and knowledge of the sciences. The author is undoubtedly correct in that the natural wonder of the universe itself is far more inspiring than the fantasies that preoccupy so many. Above all, for its clear, cogent, and compelling writing, this book is well worthy of recommendation. --Michael Gilligan, Ph.D."

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