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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
The whole book is worth it for the chapter titled "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection." That chapter should be required reading for everyone on Earth.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
An invaluable guidebook on what a principle, scientific worldview looks like.
Sagan makes an inspiring and airtight case for how science has given everything religion/pseudoscience promises and never delivers on while never once declaring himself an atheist or coming across as the least bit militant. I don’t think it’s an accident that much of the books explanation of how skepticism works is pointed at UFO phenomena, it’s a far softer target and he is gentle in his approach. It probably works the best because you can tell that no one more than Sagan wishes for alien visitors to come to earth.
The last few chapters being centered on civic duty is a great way to end. It’s here that Sagan probably feels the most dated, perhaps a bit too idolizing of Americas founders. But the truly chilling part of the section is how every single concern he has for the future has come to pass.
Sagan makes an inspiring and airtight case for how science has given everything religion/pseudoscience promises and never delivers on while never once declaring himself an atheist or coming across as the least bit militant. I don’t think it’s an accident that much of the books explanation of how skepticism works is pointed at UFO phenomena, it’s a far softer target and he is gentle in his approach. It probably works the best because you can tell that no one more than Sagan wishes for alien visitors to come to earth.
The last few chapters being centered on civic duty is a great way to end. It’s here that Sagan probably feels the most dated, perhaps a bit too idolizing of Americas founders. But the truly chilling part of the section is how every single concern he has for the future has come to pass.
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Not his best book, but a must read for pretty much anyone who cares about reality.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Must read for these dark times.
The first thought I had upon completion of this book is that it should be required reading for high school students or first or second year undergraduate students. The second thought was that one would have to trim the incredible amount of fat on this thing to make it palatable to a younger and less interested audience than say, an adult man reading a popular science book for fun.
Despite being an excellent book promoting the virtues of science, how it may be seen as congruent with American values of freedom and democracy, and featuring excellent illustrations of how science for its own sake benefits humanity in ways we may not know or understand for decades to come, the thing is bogged down in a hefty 200 pages spent (rightfully) disparaging believers of UFO phenomena, psychics, mediums, faith-healers, astrologers and all other manner of unscientific thinkers using systematic and well-thought out lines of questioning, parallelisms, the occasional historical document, and thought experiments.
While those 200 pages were enjoyable in their own way as someone who grew up fascinated by the prospect of little green men in UFOs as a child, they constitute what is essentially an altogether separate book from the latter 200 pages which I imagine most people picking up this volume would be more interested in. It is far from a crime for a book to be a relic of its time, but while several passages regarding charismatic leaders and anti-intellectualism continue to ring hauntingly true, other ideas like the stereotyping of nerds come across as quaintly out-dated.
Indeed, I wonder what Sagan would think of the new world we find ourselves in almost thirty years later. The "nerd" or "geek" has found its place in the list of acceptable social strata of our society, yet the science illiteracy of his time has been replaced by science hostility in our time. Western society at large now understands that Atlantis, aliens (as they are portrayed in the media and in abduction stories), cryptids, astrology, crystals, etc. are NOT conventional science. But rather than taking an interest in actual science that actually explains the universe in actual measurable ways, the people of our time direct their ire at science and charge it with being an evil force that seeks to wrest people away from their long held beliefs - even if they are provably incorrect.
Viewed in that light, an updated version of this work feels more warranted than ever. As I write this, more Americans are more pessimistic about the future than ever, falling to an unprecedented 24th place in the world happiness index. We distrust our leaders, our institutions and each other in a suffocating darkness of misinformation, disinformation and uncritical thinking. Now more than ever in our modern history, we need a candle in the dark.
Despite being an excellent book promoting the virtues of science, how it may be seen as congruent with American values of freedom and democracy, and featuring excellent illustrations of how science for its own sake benefits humanity in ways we may not know or understand for decades to come, the thing is bogged down in a hefty 200 pages spent (rightfully) disparaging believers of UFO phenomena, psychics, mediums, faith-healers, astrologers and all other manner of unscientific thinkers using systematic and well-thought out lines of questioning, parallelisms, the occasional historical document, and thought experiments.
While those 200 pages were enjoyable in their own way as someone who grew up fascinated by the prospect of little green men in UFOs as a child, they constitute what is essentially an altogether separate book from the latter 200 pages which I imagine most people picking up this volume would be more interested in. It is far from a crime for a book to be a relic of its time, but while several passages regarding charismatic leaders and anti-intellectualism continue to ring hauntingly true, other ideas like the stereotyping of nerds come across as quaintly out-dated.
Indeed, I wonder what Sagan would think of the new world we find ourselves in almost thirty years later. The "nerd" or "geek" has found its place in the list of acceptable social strata of our society, yet the science illiteracy of his time has been replaced by science hostility in our time. Western society at large now understands that Atlantis, aliens (as they are portrayed in the media and in abduction stories), cryptids, astrology, crystals, etc. are NOT conventional science. But rather than taking an interest in actual science that actually explains the universe in actual measurable ways, the people of our time direct their ire at science and charge it with being an evil force that seeks to wrest people away from their long held beliefs - even if they are provably incorrect.
Viewed in that light, an updated version of this work feels more warranted than ever. As I write this, more Americans are more pessimistic about the future than ever, falling to an unprecedented 24th place in the world happiness index. We distrust our leaders, our institutions and each other in a suffocating darkness of misinformation, disinformation and uncritical thinking. Now more than ever in our modern history, we need a candle in the dark.
Hopelessly using my baloney detection kit every time someone tells me I shouldn’t impulse buy fun video games
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Sagan published this one in the year preceding his death, and you do get to experience a small bit of grouchy old man in his writing style. When compared to his prior works, there's an edge of sarcasm and criticism, but it's nonetheless wrapped in the same comfortable, familiar, and thoughtful writing style. The societal issues outlined in this book are a snapshot of the '90s, and yet some of these topics are making a surprising comeback in recent years. The critiques presented here are widely-applicable and carefully-balanced between curiosity, humility, and intellectual rigor, allowing one to arrive at their own pace to a uniquely fleshed-out scientific method of thinking—while also inoculating against the sensationalist tendencies of the press. I'd strongly recommend it for both the sarcasm and the careful treatment of complex cultural issues.
I heard about this book on the Reading Envy Podcast 093: Spewing Science. After listening to Jeff Koeppen talk about Carl Sagan I had to download and start listening to this immediately. It totally satisfied my Carl Sagan appetite.