sil3nos's review against another edition
3.0
I've seen a lot of praise for this book and though I understand where that comes from, I also think that this book is quite a bit too long and takes a bit much time.
It is of to a really slow start talking for pages upon pages about people believing in aliens and how these believes connect to other superstitious believes, but it's just too long.
The later chapters especially the one about school and the last two about politics were really good. Also the chapter that includes the baloney detection kit is truly useful and has opened my eyes to a lot of shady arguments.
Above all what this book manages to convey quite well is that Carl Sagan loves science. And, maybe this is because I also love science, but he managed to grip me with his enthusiasm and guide me through the book, even though it was kinda boring at times. As much as it hurts me to say that.
It is of to a really slow start talking for pages upon pages about people believing in aliens and how these believes connect to other superstitious believes, but it's just too long.
The later chapters especially the one about school and the last two about politics were really good. Also the chapter that includes the baloney detection kit is truly useful and has opened my eyes to a lot of shady arguments.
Above all what this book manages to convey quite well is that Carl Sagan loves science. And, maybe this is because I also love science, but he managed to grip me with his enthusiasm and guide me through the book, even though it was kinda boring at times. As much as it hurts me to say that.
themushroomalien's review against another edition
5.0
This book shook me so much, I am finding it difficult to write this review. Never before has a book made me take my brain out of my head and examine it. Sagan took me on a journey into my own mind. He showed me the way my brain is wired due to religious and political programming. He asked me questions that challenged these deep rooted beliefs. He reminded me that I am a Scientist, and therefore, to think like one.
steger97's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
While this text was written decades ago there is much that is still current and possibly evergreen about Sagan’s writing. We continue to grow and advance as a species, but it seems as though some tendencies may never change. Though heeding his warning may give way to a better future.
nilla_'s review against another edition
5.0
My lifetime doesn’t overlap with Carl Sagan’s. I knew of him as a respected scientist and author, but most of that information came from other scicomm enthusiasts - from work by Ann Druyan or from acknowledgement by the pop scientists that populated my childhood, like Bill Nye or Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
But in reading this book I was reminded of the wonder of the written word, and the way it can resurrect someone who may physically be long gone. I miss Carl Sagan now. I briefly lived his hopes for dissemination of the scientific method and I cried a little as his descriptions of the issues within science hit a little too close to home. (Please put out good vibes for me to get into a grad program with funding, as much as both Sagan and I agree there’s little evidence to suggest that would help.) I am glad he never saw the rise of Internet-driven conspiracy theories, although I do believe he would have been able to predict their advent.
On an unrelated note, it was fascinating to read nonfiction work from twenty-five years ago: references to the discovery of DNA structure without a single reference to Franklin, in an otherwise actively inclusive work; description of American deficit in education presented as shocking information instead of a general truth we’ve reluctantly accepted; discussion of Isaac Asimov and Linus Pauling and Stephen Jay Gould as contemporaries. Wild.
But in reading this book I was reminded of the wonder of the written word, and the way it can resurrect someone who may physically be long gone. I miss Carl Sagan now. I briefly lived his hopes for dissemination of the scientific method and I cried a little as his descriptions of the issues within science hit a little too close to home. (Please put out good vibes for me to get into a grad program with funding, as much as both Sagan and I agree there’s little evidence to suggest that would help.) I am glad he never saw the rise of Internet-driven conspiracy theories, although I do believe he would have been able to predict their advent.
On an unrelated note, it was fascinating to read nonfiction work from twenty-five years ago: references to the discovery of DNA structure without a single reference to Franklin, in an otherwise actively inclusive work; description of American deficit in education presented as shocking information instead of a general truth we’ve reluctantly accepted; discussion of Isaac Asimov and Linus Pauling and Stephen Jay Gould as contemporaries. Wild.
jay_sy's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan is about science versus pseudoscience and how people's desire to have a sense of wonder and understanding can lead them astray.
Things I took note of while reading:
-because of the time period that this book was written a lot of the beliefs spoken of such as crystals and aliens feel a little dated and it's like looking back in time to win conspiracy theories felt a little more 'fun’ rather than just political and depressing
-I remember when crop circles were a big thing but I never learned that it was done by a couple of prankster-artists
-it's pretty amusing that people who claim to have contact with aliens have written to Sagan asking him if he has any questions for the aliens. If he asks something complex about some mathematical theorem, he never gets a response but vague questions are answered
-the treatment of the so-called witches during the Middle Ages was completely abhorrent and stomach turning to hear about
-he goes into some logical fallacies which many other books dive deeper into
-it's mildly interesting to hear the letters he has received since it kind of gives me insight into how people think about science and pseudoscience
-considering the time period this was written, I wonder what the state of education is like in the US today compared to that time period
-The part about deliberately keeping American slaves illiterate and preventing them from developing their minds, since it made a ‘bad slave’ was particularly depressing
I feel like I agreed with most of the perspectives in the book and thus, learned very little. It was an interesting insight into the time period it was written, and while still relevant today, it also feels dated. Overall, I'd give it a 3 out of 5
Things I took note of while reading:
-because of the time period that this book was written a lot of the beliefs spoken of such as crystals and aliens feel a little dated and it's like looking back in time to win conspiracy theories felt a little more 'fun’ rather than just political and depressing
-I remember when crop circles were a big thing but I never learned that it was done by a couple of prankster-artists
-it's pretty amusing that people who claim to have contact with aliens have written to Sagan asking him if he has any questions for the aliens. If he asks something complex about some mathematical theorem, he never gets a response but vague questions are answered
-the treatment of the so-called witches during the Middle Ages was completely abhorrent and stomach turning to hear about
-he goes into some logical fallacies which many other books dive deeper into
-it's mildly interesting to hear the letters he has received since it kind of gives me insight into how people think about science and pseudoscience
-considering the time period this was written, I wonder what the state of education is like in the US today compared to that time period
-The part about deliberately keeping American slaves illiterate and preventing them from developing their minds, since it made a ‘bad slave’ was particularly depressing
I feel like I agreed with most of the perspectives in the book and thus, learned very little. It was an interesting insight into the time period it was written, and while still relevant today, it also feels dated. Overall, I'd give it a 3 out of 5
leannaaker's review against another edition
5.0
This book, as many others say, should be required reading... the value and necessity for skeptical thinking is expressed eloquently through numerous examples. I found Chapter 23 (Maxwell and the Nerds) particularly inspiring. In this chapter, Sagan makes the case for basic science research, and gives a number of examples of amazing discoveries and foundational knowledge that lead to further technological advances. He viewed the current demand for "practical application" of science in grant proposals, for example, as not just uninspired, but unproductive. He wraps up the book with a call for patriotism and freedom in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Really, a phenomenal book.