The Demon-Haunted World Review
Jan. 13th, 2006 10:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearPeople, take note. I read a book about science - and I really enjoyed it. The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan comes highly recommended.
Of course, the book is really about rational versus credulous thought, but it's written by a scientist and has a great deal of science in it. He takes various ideas (religion, aliens, astrology, etc) and examines them in a scientific way, discussing the various explanations and presenting which ones are more plausible. What I like most about the book, though, is that he does all this in a very personable, open-minded way. Not once does he accuse advocates of these ideas of being stupid, nor does he present himself as superior or condescending. In fact, he freely admits he would be very happy if UFO-spotters were proved correct.
It's the proof that's the important thing for Sagan. He doesn't dismiss anything as ridiculous or wrong, unless there is secure evidence to disprove it. Similarly, he refuses to endorse tales of alien abduction or horoscopes without evidence to support them.
His writing style is easy and entertaining, and his viewpoint is as objective as I've come across in a long time.
Plus, how cool is it to know that we share the universe, however infrequently it occurs, with stochastic ooze???
My favourite quote from the book is not actually from Sagan himself, but from Ethan Allen, an 18th century American revolutionary and guerilla leader:
"Those who invalidate reason ought seriously to consider whether they argue against reason with or without reason; if with reason, then they establish the principle that they are laboring to dethrone: but if they argue without reason (which, in order to be consistent with themselves, they must do), they are out of reach of rational conviction, nor do they deserve a rational argument."
Of course, the book is really about rational versus credulous thought, but it's written by a scientist and has a great deal of science in it. He takes various ideas (religion, aliens, astrology, etc) and examines them in a scientific way, discussing the various explanations and presenting which ones are more plausible. What I like most about the book, though, is that he does all this in a very personable, open-minded way. Not once does he accuse advocates of these ideas of being stupid, nor does he present himself as superior or condescending. In fact, he freely admits he would be very happy if UFO-spotters were proved correct.
It's the proof that's the important thing for Sagan. He doesn't dismiss anything as ridiculous or wrong, unless there is secure evidence to disprove it. Similarly, he refuses to endorse tales of alien abduction or horoscopes without evidence to support them.
His writing style is easy and entertaining, and his viewpoint is as objective as I've come across in a long time.
Plus, how cool is it to know that we share the universe, however infrequently it occurs, with stochastic ooze???
My favourite quote from the book is not actually from Sagan himself, but from Ethan Allen, an 18th century American revolutionary and guerilla leader:
"Those who invalidate reason ought seriously to consider whether they argue against reason with or without reason; if with reason, then they establish the principle that they are laboring to dethrone: but if they argue without reason (which, in order to be consistent with themselves, they must do), they are out of reach of rational conviction, nor do they deserve a rational argument."
