Demon-Haunted World

<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLER - From the renowned astronomer and author of <i>Cosmos </i>comes a powerful [and] stirring defense of informed rationality (<i>The Washington Post Book World</i>) in a world where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace.<br></b><br><b><i>LOS ANGELES TIMES </i>BOOK PRIZE WINNER - Glorious . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last this book is a manifesto for clear thought.--<i>Los Angeles Times</i></b> <p/>How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience New Age thinking and fundamentalist zealotry and the testable hypotheses of science? <p/>Casting a wide net through history and culture 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. He examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies as witchcraft faith healings 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. <p/>As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.