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Zusammenfassung von The Demon-Haunted World

Name: The Demon-Haunted World
Rating: 4.3 (152 reviews)
Author: Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan

Science as a Candle in the Dark

4.3 (152 Bewertungen)

25 Min.

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Natural Sciences

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The Demon-Haunted World
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What’s in it for me? Discover why science, not superstition, will lead us to a better future.

Science has brought us modern medicine and a deep understanding of the universe, not to mention much of the technological gadgetry we rely on every day. In short, science and scientists are largely to thank for our health, happiness and prosperity.

And yet, in the modern world, science is under heavy attack from the proponents of superstition. From astrologers to religious fundamentalists, many people are beginning to question the merits of the scientific approach. They suggest it is too arrogant, too narrow, too boring.

These blinks, based on Carl Sagan’s groundbreaking work, show you why such criticism is pure hogwash. They delineate why our development as a species depends on our giving up our beliefs in the paranormal and replacing them with an understanding of science.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why astrology is total bushwa;
why there never seems to be any witnesses to alien abductions; and
why scientists need to work on their PR.

Scientists rely on skepticism and critical thinking to understand how the universe works.

When you look at the moon, what do you see? Throughout human history, millions of people believed they saw a face. Today, however, we’re quite sure that the “man in the moon” isn’t really looking down on us. Rather, it’s we who are looking at nothing more than 4.5 billion-year-old craters.

But how do we know there’s no man in the moon? Well, because scientists disproved that hypothesis by using powerful telescopes to carefully examine the moon’s surface.

Science is generally open to all ideas – even that of there being a man in the moon! – but it tests them rigorously. Scientists look for explanations of how the world works, and try to consider every single idea that might explain any given phenomenon.

Then, through the process of critical questioning, careful observation and repeated experimentation, they try to discern the explanation that is most probable.

For example, if you were to explain your burnt finger to a scientist by saying it had been roasted by a dragon’s fiery breath, you would have to demonstrate that there were no other more probable, more valid explanations for your burn.

Otherwise, your theory simply doesn’t hold up to the scientific method, and will remain just another unsubstantiated claim.

The scientific method is fortified by a constant skepticism that jettisons bad ideas and singles out good ones. And because scientists know better than anyone that human thought is fallible, they constantly challenge one another’s explanatory models.

It is this skepticism that helps them find and correct errors even in well-established scientific theories. Copernicus did exactly that when he flouted centuries of scientific thought by proposing a heliocentric, as opposed to a geocentric, astronomical model – that is, that the earth orbits the sun, not the other way around.

By maintaining a stolidly scientific skepticism, only the best explanations survive, which ensures a deeper understanding of the universe.

Many people are uninterested in science and don’t understand its methods.

Here’s a startling fact: 95 percent of Americans have trouble explaining how a scientific theory, such as the Big Bang theory, differs from statements like, “Ghosts exist.” In other words, they are “scientifically illiterate.”

Such illiterates don’t really understand what science is or why it’s different from religious and superstitious beliefs. Most importantly, they don’t understand how the scientific method is able to differentiate between truth and myth.

Pseudoscientific beliefs are increasingly popular, despite a lack of evidential support.

In the Middle Ages, people believed that evil demons called incubi visited and violated young women in their sleep, thus turning them into witches. It’s easy to laugh at history’s pseudoscientific blunders, but things aren’t much different today. For instance, each year thousands of Americans report having been abducted, examined and sexually assaulted by aliens.

And yet, there has never been any hard evidence supporting any claim of alien abduction. No abductee has ever brought back an unusual alien instrument from the UFO, nor have any microchips ever been found implanted in the victims. Of those who claim to have had sex with aliens, none gave birth to any half-alien offspring.

Scientists are stereotyped as nerdy, arrogant and sometimes even dangerous.

Think about the cartoons you used to watch as a kid or even the ones your own kids enjoy watching today. Do any of these shows feature scientists? If so, are they loveable and curious, enjoyable people overall? Probably not! More likely than not, they’re portrayed as exceedingly evil, either hopelessly nerdy or dangerously insane.

Very often, the media misrepresents science and scientists, focusing mainly on the negative aspects of scientific inquiry. They propagate stereotypes such as the “mad scientist” – think Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll – and portray the pursuit of science as an undesirable, even dangerous occupation.

Science guides humanity’s social and technological development.

Imagine your life without real science. You’d live in a frightening world, dominated by religion and superstition. There’d be no cars, no TVs, no toasters – and certainly no computers or tablets on which you could read this!

To be sure, scientific innovations have been put to unspeakably evil ends. But if physics, biology, chemistry and other scientific approaches are applied carefully and with ethical intentions, the benefits of the technologies they give rise to will far outweigh the potential hazards.

The values of science are similar to, and help sustain, the values of democracy.

When people think of Thomas Jefferson, they often remember his role in the formation of the United States. But he was also a passionate scientist! He collected books and scientific instruments, and firmly believed in the power of education. So it should come as no surprise that it was Jefferson who inserted many of the revolutionary ideas to be found in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Indeed, the concepts of freedom of speech, skepticism, pragmatism and objectivity are central to both scientific inquiry and a functioning democracy.

Science needn’t be incompatible with religious belief, faith in humanity or a sense of wonder.

People often complain that science is utterly unromantic, devoid of all dignifying mystery, a constraint on the human imagination and spirit. Religion and pseudoscience, with their miracles and paranormal activity, seem at first glance more accommodative of people’s emotional needs than any scientific theory ever could be.

But in reality, the world of science is just as passion-filled and awe-inspiring as the world of the spirit.

Employing the tools of science, we can learn to critically test the quality of arguments and theories.

The benefits of a skeptical mind hit much closer to home than lofty ideas like democracy and finding the meaning of life. In fact, the art of critical thinking can help you in any area of your life – and you don’t have to be a scientist to think like one!

Fundamental to this process of critical thinking is the ability to form a good hypothesis. It must be precisely formulated, and in a way that it can be falsified by observation or experimentation.

We must provide better science education and encourage kids to think critically.

One of the most important steps toward the abolition of slavery in the US was the uptick in literacy among African-American slaves. For them, literacy meant greater access to knowledge, an increased understanding of the laws used to justify their mistreatment and an ability to politically organize. Indeed, in many cases, knowledge is power.

Education and critical thinking offer an escape from poverty and oppression. With better education, oppressed peoples can better understand their surroundings and critically question existing hierarchies of race, gender, wealth and so on.

Government and mass media should support science and the public’s understanding of science.

So far, you’ve seen how important science and critical thinking are to us, both personally and as societies, as well as how science and scientists are tragically mischaracterized in today’s media. To correct these misrepresentations, it’s not enough to improve science education in school. Government and media organizations must also do their part to help science thrive.

For starters, governments should do more to fund purely scientific research projects.

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Worum geht es in The Demon-Haunted World?

The Demon-Haunted World (1995) helps the reader distinguish between dangerous pseudoscience and real, hard science by exploring the critical-thinking tools scientists use to make their discoveries. The author argues for science’s place in education and popular culture, and offers his advice on how we can incorporate more critical thought into our society.

Bestes Zitat aus The Demon-Haunted World

Science can be the golden road out of poverty and backwardness for emerging nations.

—Carl Sagan

Wer The Demon-Haunted World lesen sollte

People interested in science and the methods of science
Anyone who wants to learn the difference between astronomy and astrology
Critical thinkers who want to improve their analytical skills

Über den Autor

Carl Sagan was an American scientist who mainly specialized in astronomy and the search for extraterrestrial life. He also wrote a number of popular science books, including Broca’s Brain and Pale Blue Dot. Sagan achieved worldwide recognition as an advocate for science education with his television series, Cosmos.

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