Sagan Carl. The demon-haunted world: science as a candle in the dark

Headline Book Publishing, 1996. — 443 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 and the testable hypotheses of science? 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.
Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, 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. 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.Preface: My Teachers.
The Most Precious Thing.
Science and Hope.
The Man in the Moon and the Face on Mars.
Aliens.
Spoofing and Secrecy.
Hallucinations.
The Demon-Haunted World.
On the Distinction between True and False Visions.
Therapy.
The Dragon in My Garage.
The City of Grief.
The Fine Art of Baloney Detection.
Obsessed with Reality.
Antiscience.
Newton's Sleep.
When Scientists Know Sin.
The Marriage of Scepticism and Wonder.
TheWind Makes Dust.
No Such Thing as a Dumb Question.
House on Fire*.
The Path to Freedom*.
Significance Junkies.
Maxwell and The Nerds.
Science and Witchcraft*.
Real Patriots Ask Questions*.
Acknowledgements.