The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan
       
 (IMG) Book cover image
       
       Non-fiction book review written on December 30th, 2011.
       
       I read this book for the baloney detection toolkit [1].  The book
       contains many ideas.  Some seem obvious and simple, but they requir
       active thought and enthusiasm to formulate.  One of the most
       interesting was the idea that to further science, it is important t
       combine credulity with skepticism.  "The judicious mix of these two
       modes of thought is central to the success of science. ... But
       neither is easy."
       
       By volume, most of the book is spent discussing UFO's and religion.
       Much of this is old hat, but I enjoyed the sections about religious
       doctrines that are falsifiable.  For example, on the efficacy of
       prayer versus the longevity of monarchs.  Despite the heartfelt
       mantra of "God save the Queen" or King, monarchs do not,
       statistically, live longer than others in their social class.  One
       can draw data from millennia of history, all the way back to ancien
       Egyptians, may the gods grant the Pharaoh live forever.
       
       "... but if we must make errors, given the stakes, they should be o
       the side of safety. ... Today our poison arrows can destroy the glo
       civilization and just possibly annihilate our species.  The price o
       moral ambiguity is now too high." -- Carl Sagan
       
       "So far from being an isolated phenomenon the late war is only an
       example of the disruptive result that we may constantly expect from
       the progress of science. ... We have improved our armaments, and
       patriotism, which was once a flame upon the altar, has become a
       world-devouring conflagration." -- J.B.S. Haldane [2]
       
       The Demon Haunted World references a couple of relevant public doma
       books:
       
       Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
       by Charles Mackay, 1841
 (HTM) Gutenberg Ebook 24518
       
       Mysticism and Logic by Bertrand Russel, 1929
 (HTM) Gutenberg Ebook 25447
       
 (HTM) [1] Baloney detection toolkit
       
 (HTM) [2] Cautionary quote about science and war
       
        title: The Demon Haunted World
        author: Sagan, Carl, 1934-1996
        LOC: Q175 .S215
        rating: 5
       
 (DIR) BenCollver - Phlog
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