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jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
A slightly disappointing read. Several essays were very interesting and engaging but, as a whole, the book just didn't gel for me.
drakken's review
5.0
As a latecomer to Sagan, I am absolutely enamored of his mind and the clarity of thought he possesses. The way heâs able to effectively communicate the value and importance of science and skepticism / critical thinking as it relates to a variety of sociological areas - with obvious passion balanced by level-headedness, and in a style that is eminently readable and compelling to the layman - is endlessly impressive, and quite appreciated. One can only wish more people today were being exposed to and absorbing perspectives like his.
clancydavis's review
5.0
A nostrum to dispel traditional and New Age nonsense. Still holds up despite being written in the 1990s.
bigenk's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
The Demon-Haunted World is Sagan's cry towards the use of democracy, skepticism, and the scientific method as the candles that can lead us, humanity, through a world that is darkened by schools of thought that would otherwise lead us astray.
Sagan comes across as a person who is at once both highly optimistic about the potential future of humanity, but also someone who has been embittered by organized religion, lackluster education, and structures of power that divert attention away from scientific progress. He sees the way that science has been vilified since the crystallization of its ethos. The book is Sagan pleading the everyday human to be critical of outside powers in your life, to be curious and imaginative about nature, and value the progression of human knowledge no matter what direction it might take us.
Sagan comes across as a person who is at once both highly optimistic about the potential future of humanity, but also someone who has been embittered by organized religion, lackluster education, and structures of power that divert attention away from scientific progress. He sees the way that science has been vilified since the crystallization of its ethos. The book is Sagan pleading the everyday human to be critical of outside powers in your life, to be curious and imaginative about nature, and value the progression of human knowledge no matter what direction it might take us.
asriram's review against another edition
3.0
I'd say that I liked The Demon Haunted World, but there were definitely some flaws - in my opinion, Sagan spends far too long debunking the idea of UFO's existing, and so a lot of my goodwill was completely spent by the time we reached the half way point of the book. At approximately the 2/3 mark of the novel, the pace picked up pretty drastically, but at the beginning, it was a bit of a slog to get to. Overall, it was a 3.5/5 stars, rounded down to a 3 stars.
whimsicalmeerkat's review
4.0
A wonderful book that explores pseudoscience and the reasons it has such a hold on our culture. Carl Sagan writes with his fantastic blend of expert knowledge and humorous humanity. I highly recommend this.