Sharpen your critical reasoning skills
|
It's hard enough to understand how Sagan could know as much about astronomy as he did, let alone the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. But that his range of knowledge was also as wide as this book demonstrates on pseudo-science and supernaturalisms is stunning, even more that he could write so well on all these topics.
I wasn't aware just how evil the treatment of witches was: I'm glad Sagan spared at least some of the details. That chapter alone was worth the book for me. Nor was I aware to what extent people actually did believe that demons were real. The attitudes and behavior about witchcraft and demons truly makes me feel I do not understand at all the mindset at the time of Rome or even during the Middle Ages. The chapter on James Randi's Carlos hoax I'll treasure: next time someone tries to sell me on telepathy or reincarnation, I hope I think of this immediately. Good information and examples here as well about hypnoisis, UFO's, hallucinations and a good deal more. This book amounts to an implicit course in choosing a scientific outlook and becoming, as Sagan would have said, a "baloney detector".
It is appalling how small a percentage of people in the U.S. accept evolution and natural selection. Have we really needed brilliant scientists like Sagan and Dawkins to have wasted time trying to convince people of just how well-founded evolution is? And yet reading in this book about how many people believe in UFOs, telepathy, ghosts, astrology, it puts the unwillingness to acknowledge evolution into perspective. Scary? Or do you doubt that it is? In either case, this easy to read book is packed with reasons to prefer a scientific approach to life. Sagan's lectures in
The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
provide good reasons not to feel threatened by science but rather feel welcome its help in enhancing our sense of wonder about our lives ... and turning to knowledge instead of being distracted by foolish beliefs.
|
|
|
A superb book for the questioning mind
|
Do you like to question things? Well you should like this book.
There are two keys aspects to this book:
1. A detailed analysis of unsubstantiated beliefs
2. An exploration of critical thinking
1.
Sagan describes all sorts of unusual beliefs such as demons and witches which were once held with absolute certitude by the masses. He details outrageous claims of alien abductions and all sorts of unusual apparitions. This is all sprinkled with all sorts of interesting facts and anecdotes. Whether it's the story of innocent people being found guilty for child abuse by using confession under hypnosis as evidence or the fact that there have been over a million UFO sightings since 1947, the reader is kept in engaged along the way.
Inevitably Religion gets a mention. Sagan points out how scripture was used to justify some inhuman activities such slavery and racism
However Sagan is fair here. He points out that mainstream Religions accepts mainstream Science, such as Darwinian evolution and it is really only the fundamentalists who cannot deal with Scientific findings.
He also describes the story of the Jesuit priest, Friedrich von Spee, who turned whistle blower, detailing the abject fallacy and idiocy of witchcraft trials.
2.
Of course no book on critical thinking would be complete without a discussion on what constitutes critical thinking. Sagan is is succinct in his explanations. He details scientific and evidence based methodologies. He explains various logical fallacies which consistently make humans think something is true when it is actually not.
Sagan is not also to afraid to point out the imperfections of Science. He discusses the tentative nature of Science and he questions of some of bad aspects that have manifested from a usage of it. Atomic and Hydrogen bombs, two obvious examples.
Sagan explores the inescapable reality that Science has failed to capture the masses. Why is it only 75% of American don't know antibiotics kill bacteria not viruses? He explores some of the reasons for this as well as different ways of teaching Science and critical thinking.
He is only too gracious and bashful to recommend everyone should read this book, but I would have no problem doing that!
|
|
Well worth reading...
|
As a widely acclaimed scientist, Carl Sagan has written an important book at the dawn of a new millennium, advocating science and debunking credulous claims of the supernatural and pseudoscientific.
Sagan begins with his childhood fascination with the nature of the universe and shows how an open-minded, scientific mind can see the obvious truth in a superstitious world. He goes on to illustrate the progression of human gullibility throughout the ages, from belief in angles, demos, witches, fairies, to more contempory paradigms such as the visitation of extraterrestrials from other dimensions. Striking "coincidental" parallels are drawn between these superstitions, such the sexual undercurrents and paralyzing abilities of incubi, sucubi and aliens.
Using brute-force scientific reasoning, Sagan successfully disproves the existence of UFOs, the healing powers of faith-healers, crop circles designed by extraneous entities, the validity of astrology etc... and hence reading, many would find these claims impossible to believe.
The first half of the book is packed with entertaining information, which will delight skeptics and scientists. Unfortunately Sagan, as a renowned scientist, is not the greatest writer. The book could be better structured and more concise. He has a tendency to state his thesis, and then assiduously ramble on to the point of banality. The latter half of the book is a tiresome advocation of science in today's age supported by superfluous, irrelevant information; for example, the historical opponents of science, the beneficial practical applications of science, the deterioration of science in America's educational system, literacy as an emancipator of slavery, politics and science, to the lack of science on television etc.. As somebody not from America, I believe his supporting arguments could be more "scientific" and less localized.
Apart from its misgivings, this book is highly recommended as a conscious raiser to the fallaciousness of the supernatural haunting our world today.
|
|
|
At night a candle's brighter than the sun...
|
The blurb on the back cover says; "...Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks...witchcraft, faith healing and UFOs" - this he does but it is not really the main point of the book.
Sagan never sets out to trash some compendium of "new age" beliefs or all the paranormal and paraphyschological bunk that is currently doing the rounds. Instead, he uses examples such as UFOs, alien abductions and faith healing to instruct the reader in how such myths and pseudoscience can become so believable to so many. Helpfully he also equips the reader with the mental tools necessary to examine such claims for themselves in a sceptical and rational manner, his so called "baloney detection kit". This kit includes various tools for sceptical and scientific reasoning as well as how to recognise common fallacies of logic and rhetoric.
If you read this book expecting to be spoon fed arguments against various pseudoscientific, quasi-religious (or just plain-religious) and other paranormal beliefs then you are going to be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you want to be able to critically analyse theories and ideas (scientific or otherwise), if you want to be able to think for yourself and if you want to be able to recognise when you are being fed fallacious and fraudulent arguments then you can't go far wrong with this book.
Please read this book if you get the chance, it is marvellous piece of work, erudite and compassionate without ever being patronising and should be compulsory reading in every school, for pupils, teachers and parents.
|
|
Not as promised
|
If you are expecting this book to "examine and authoritatively debunk" many paranormal systems you will be disappointed.
The only scientific arguments he gives are for UFO's, crop circles and abductions. When it comes to anything with hard evidence such as remote viewing or the transcendental meditation project he is very quiet in fact i think he only mentioned both once in passing.
I bought this book expecting a refreshing counter argument to many "new age" beliefs - it wasnt.
If you are looking for something like that then this isnt the book for you.
If you are reading this thinking i am a typical self deluded new ager that wouldnt believe any evidence no matter how objective do yourself a favour and search for hal puthoff's remote viewing experiments at the stanford research institute and the transcendental meditation program.
If you are looking for a book that illustrates the dwindling amount of science and skeptism in contemporary culture then this book is well grounded and well written.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada