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Book Review of The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
reviewed on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


A heart-felt plea for enlightenment, inquiry, and open-mindedness from one of the great scientific philosophers of our time. Dr. Carl Sagan was a champion of the skepticism movement because he always treated the subjects of his criticism with fairness, honesty, and compassion. He finished writing this book as he was suffering from the disease that took his life, and his peers have stated that he felt this book would be the his work. This added a new level of awareness, and gave strength to his convictions. Sagan attacked the ongoing (and increasing) plague of pseudo-science that always draws more attention than the actual research that furthers the cause of science. He looks at UFOs, crop circles, "psychic" phenomena, conspiracy theories, legends of Atlantis, and all of the fringe elements that serve to keep a great number of people in the dark. Dr. Sagan was a crusader for the cause of true science, and his words live on in this outstanding book. (One of the points of the book is the the basis of a long-standing rule used by skeptics: junk science books sell far better than true science.)