The Demon-Haunted World
Science as a Candle in the Dark
(Sprache: Englisch)
A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace
"A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a...
"A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a...
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A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace"A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought."-Los Angeles Times
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.
Praise for The Demon-Haunted World
"Powerful . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing."-The Washington Post Book World
"Compelling."-USA Today
"A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity."-The Sciences
"Passionate."-San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle
Lese-Probe zu „The Demon-Haunted World “
Chapter 1THE MOST PRECIOUS THING
All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
(1879 1955)
As I got off the plane, he was waiting for me, holding up a scrap of cardboard with my name scribbled on it. I was on my way to a conference of scientists and TV broadcasters devoted to the seemingly hopeless prospect of improving the presentation of science on commercial television. The organizers had kindly sent a driver.
Do you mind if I ask you a question? he said as we waited for my bag.
No, I didn t mind.
Isn t it confusing to have the same name as that scientist guy?
It took me a moment to understand. Was he pulling my leg? Finally, it dawned on me.
I am that scientist guy, I answered.
He paused and then smiled. Sorry. That s my problem. I thought it was yours too.
He put out his hand. My name is William F. Buckley. (Well, he wasn t exactly William F. Buckley, but he did bear the name of a contentious and well-known TV interviewer, for which he doubtless took a lot of good-natured ribbing.)
As we settled into the car for the long drive, the windshield wipers rhythmically thwacking, he told me he was glad I was that scientist guy he had so many questions to ask about science. Would I mind?
No, I didn t mind.
And so we got to talking. But not, as it turned out, about science. He wanted to talk about frozen extraterrestrials languishing in an Air Force base near San Antonio, channeling (a way to hear what s on the minds of dead people not much, it turns out), crystals, the prophecies of Nostradamus, astrology, the shroud of Turin He introduced each portentous subject with buoyant enthusiasm. Each time I had to disappoint him:
The evidence is crummy, I kept saying. There s a much simpler explanation.
... mehr
He was, in a way, widely read. He knew the various speculative nuances on, let s say, the sunken continents of Atlantis and Lemuria. He had at his fingertips what underwater expeditions were supposedly just setting out to find the tumbled columns and broken minarets of a once-great civilization whose remains were now visited only by deep sea luminescent fish and giant kraken. Except while the ocean keeps many secrets, I knew that there isn t a trace of oceanographic or geophysical support for Atlantis and Lemuria. As far as science can tell, they never existed. By now a little reluctantly, I told him so.
As we drove through the rain, I could see him getting glummer and glummer. I was dismissing not just some errant doctrine, but a precious facet of his inner life.
And yet there s so much in real science that s equally exciting, more mysterious, a greater intellectual challenge as well as being a lot closer to the truth. Did he know abo ut the molecular building blocks of life sitting out there in the cold, tenuous gas between the stars? Had he heard of the footprints of our ancestors found in 4-million-year-old volcanic ash? What about the raising of the Himalayas when India went crashing into Asia? Or how viruses, built like hypodermic syringes, slip their DNA past the host organism s defenses and subvert the reproductive machinery of cells; or the radio search for extraterrestrial intelligence; or the newly discovered ancient civilization of Ebla that advertised the virtues of Ebla beer? No, he hadn t heard. Nor did he know, even vaguely, about quantum indeterminacy, and he recognized DNA only as thre
He was, in a way, widely read. He knew the various speculative nuances on, let s say, the sunken continents of Atlantis and Lemuria. He had at his fingertips what underwater expeditions were supposedly just setting out to find the tumbled columns and broken minarets of a once-great civilization whose remains were now visited only by deep sea luminescent fish and giant kraken. Except while the ocean keeps many secrets, I knew that there isn t a trace of oceanographic or geophysical support for Atlantis and Lemuria. As far as science can tell, they never existed. By now a little reluctantly, I told him so.
As we drove through the rain, I could see him getting glummer and glummer. I was dismissing not just some errant doctrine, but a precious facet of his inner life.
And yet there s so much in real science that s equally exciting, more mysterious, a greater intellectual challenge as well as being a lot closer to the truth. Did he know abo ut the molecular building blocks of life sitting out there in the cold, tenuous gas between the stars? Had he heard of the footprints of our ancestors found in 4-million-year-old volcanic ash? What about the raising of the Himalayas when India went crashing into Asia? Or how viruses, built like hypodermic syringes, slip their DNA past the host organism s defenses and subvert the reproductive machinery of cells; or the radio search for extraterrestrial intelligence; or the newly discovered ancient civilization of Ebla that advertised the virtues of Ebla beer? No, he hadn t heard. Nor did he know, even vaguely, about quantum indeterminacy, and he recognized DNA only as thre
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan served as the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo spacecraft expeditions, for which he received the NASA Medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and (twice) for Distinguished Public Service.His Emmy- and Peabody–winning television series, Cosmos, became the most widely watched series in the history of American public television. The accompanying book, also called Cosmos, is one of the bestselling science books ever published in the English language. Dr. Sagan received the Pulitzer Prize, the Oersted Medal, and many other awards—including twenty honorary degrees from American colleges and universities—for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. In their posthumous award to Dr. Sagan of their highest honor, the National Science Foundation declared that his “research transformed planetary science . . . his gifts to mankind were infinite." Dr. Sagan died on December 20, 1996.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Carl Sagan
- 1997, 12th ed., 480 Seiten, Masse: 13,7 x 20,6 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: IMPORT
- ISBN-10: 0345409469
- ISBN-13: 9780345409461
- Erscheinungsdatum: 25.02.1997
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought. Los Angeles TimesPowerful . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing. The Washington Post Book World
Compelling. USA Today
A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity. The Sciences
Passionate. San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle
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