The Demon-Haunted World

1 About this book

A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace.

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.

Good for readers who want: science, philosophy, and a long read.

• Science
• Parapsychology
• Science and civilization
• Philosophy
• Science, popular works
• Education