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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Carl Sagan was a brilliant astronomer who also had the enviable talent of being exceptionally good at communicating what he loved to other human beings. For specialists in any field, this skill is in relatively short supply. This talent (or ability, perhaps) is what made Sagan so recognizable and effective outside his own specialized field of all things astro.
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark is a love letter to scientific skepticism. Sagan’s purpose is to advocate a continuous and enthusiastic insistence on a skeptical, scientific approach to daily life – he is specifically targeting a non-scientist audience. The close of the first chapter gives some insight into what Sagan will attempt to do through the rest of the book, and why:
One: it becomes clear that it is a collection of essays. Sometimes profound and informative. More and more: repetitive when crammed into a book.
Somewhat related books like this seem to hit several notes reportedly. For this book it is usually a brief tour of some beliefs and then a brief mention of what is really happening. There is a weird array of topics which is great. But some start to repeat.
The writing is fun and engaging. I enjoy that it does have many topics.
While Sagan does dive a bit into debunking popular myths at the time, like alien abductions, the core purpose of this book is teaching readers the importance and skills for critical thought. Revisiting this book in early 2023 really, WHEW! We're really in it now Carl Sagan!!