The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark is a book by astrophysicist Carl Sagan and one of the most important books in popular science. Sagan wrote it when he knew he was dying of cancer. He had an unmatched gift of conveying and explaining science to make it understandable and relevant to non-scientists. For that reason alone, it is not far-fetched to list him among the great scientific minds of the 20th century.
Carl Sagan covers a lot of ground in this book. One of his most important themes is that the scientific method is the best tool we have for separating fact from fantasy. He laments that a general lack of skepticism leads many people to believe in superstitions that can be easily explained. He devotes several chapters
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Interestingly, Carl Sagan holds up science and democracy as mutually supporting concepts. He cites Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson as examples of literacy, and science literacy in particular, for supporting democracy.
Sagan devotes an excellent chapter in the middle of his book to the basic toolkit that one should use to analyze an argument for intellectual integrity, describing the most common fallacies that can sidestep the basic requirements of argument and cause an argument to seem much more convincing than it actually is.
He discusses the modern trend to distrust science, and he discusses some of its causes. For example, he talks about how many people today view scientists as "nerds" and don't see why governments should support "curiosity-based research", thinking that they should focus on specific technological research rather than purely scientific matters. To argue against this idea, he discusses how a specific discovery by a physicist named Maxwell (the idea of electromagnetic radiation, i.e. light, and a few related ideas) allowed later scientists to discover radio waves, one of the single most important discoveries in history. But Maxwell had no idea where his discovery would lead. Rather, he was
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He claims that since many kids are interested in sports, there is a wealth of science concepts to teach related to sports. Probability, winning streaks, ballistics, angular momentum, and center of mass are all useful concepts.
I think that what makes this book special is this connection that Sagan had of science to the civic education and engagement that is required by citizens in the modern world, which are essential if we are to be free. I think it worth quoting the final paragraph of this, the last book he wrote in his life, something he wrote when he knew had, at best, a few short months to live: “Education on the value of free speech and the other freedoms reserved by the Bill of Rights, about what happens when you don’t have them, and about how to exercise and protect them, should be an essential prerequisite for being an American citizen—or indeed a citizen of any nation, the more so to the degree that such rights remain unprotected. If we can’t think for ourselves, if we’re unwilling to question authority, then we’re just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for us. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human,
The most successful approaches to the public’s acceptance of scientific information are the cues from political leaders, persuasive syntax, the use of narratives, and research into a scientific source’s
In Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008), Ben Stein travels the world to expose the incarceration in the realm of science. Stein’s goal is to rile up the audience to stir up desire and motivation of the voice of the people to bring down the unjust wall in scientific academia. Ben Stein fails to persuade his active viewing audience that universities have used unfair practices to exclude research and believers in intelligent design from the scientific community, but succeeds in persuading the unpretentious and idle audience. Ben Stein losses his credibility and ultimately his persuasive power through the use of misrepresentation of messages and facts, fallacies of ethos, pathos, and logos, and the digression from the main point of the documentary. The unpretentious audience overlooks these fallacies and is persuaded through the visual tools in the documentary.
...ing fascinating about science, one gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such trifling investments of fact."
The word “bias” has always had a negative connotation. Although it is used synonymously with bigotry and prejudice, its meaning is actually more akin to “point of view,” “personal tendency,” or “preference.” Just as every individual has her own worldview, so she has a set of biases. These biases are often observable in a person’s habits, speech, and, perhaps most explicitly, writings. Daniel Boorstin, renowned University of Chicago professor, historian, author, and librarian of Congress, is undeniably biased towards certain cultures in The Discoverers. A book chronicling mankind’s scientific history, its first words are “My hero is Man the Discoverer.” In his telling of “man’s search to know his world and himself,” Boorstin declares that
He says that it is harder for him to doubt something deliberate, and the idea that he can have opportunities that are up to him to decide that fate of an outcome. He goes on to say that we must be wiser with our principles and start adjusting our theories to our data and avoid tailoring our data to our theories.
Not many people want to be a part of a study of the physical world by using experiments and different methods of observation, in other words being part of science. Likewise, individuals who have become scientist were not just born to be a scientist; either there were influential factors or an interest that developed from the theories of the world. One man who fits in this category is the scientist, Richard P. Feynman. He was a man of wonder, as he was born his father pushed him to find the meanings to why and how things on earth work the way they do. Ever since then Feynman became curious of all the things around him and wanted to discover the details to all living things. Flowers to Feynman were much more beautiful to him than to a non-scientist, because not only could he see the beautiful colors, but also could see the cells inside the flowers that have much more beauty. What Do You Care What Other People Think? By Richard P. Feynman is a novel that not only discusses Feynman’s intelligence, confidence and the ability to solve environmental dilemmas, but also mentions his romantic and loving side. In this essay, observations made from this novel will be discussed. Including of how Feynman had made a name for himself as the true genius. With Feynman’s carefree, down to earth, emotional character with a bit of hatred of politics still however, manages to figure out the cause and reason to the ‘Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster’. All in all because he was such a curious and intelligent individual, nothing to him was impossible.
Arthur L. Caplan, in his news article, “Distinguishing Science from Nonsense,” warns the audience about the uncertain economic future of the United States of America due to the abandonment of science within society. Further, Caplan’s purpose is to inform the audience how the dwindling importance of science in children is not only due to schools, but also due to American culture. Therefore, Caplan uses a combination of rhetorical devices to not only warn and inform the public about the importance of science, but to also engage them to an extent that persuades the audience to take action.
Scientists are constantly forced to test their work and beliefs. Thus they need the ability to embrace the uncertainty that science is based on. This is a point John M. Barry uses throughout the passage to characterize scientific research, and by using rhetorical devices such as, comparison, specific diction, and contrast he is able show the way he views and characterizes scientific research.
Power is a key issue in separating the educated from the uneducated. One of the reasons that society is able to dictate the way people in mainstream society lives is through power. Society practically has power over every aspect of daily life. Society derives this power from the people whom make up mainstream America. Mainstream America has been trained over the years tha...
In “Demon- Haunted World,” published in the Locus Magazine on September 2nd, 2017, blogger, journalist, and science fiction author, Cory Doctorow demonstrates how the term “cheating” is an accustomed trait in human beings. Individuals go to great lengths to cheat only to get caught or to get away, this is because they want the easy, uncomplicated way out of things. Momentarily, technological advances are being persuaded into tricking the human mind. Software’s are being built into machines, cars, and other daily used items which cheat a system that society doesn't account for thefts to be done. Thus, Doctorow displays how inspections and regulations are needed to be put in place so cheating is exposed in such a manner that it should not occur
There has been a long-established controversy over the duty of a citizen in a democracy, on which the Athenian philosopher, Socrates, and the American writer, Henry David Thoreau, had their own thoughts. Both philosophers had varying views on numerous subjects relating to government and conscience. Should the citizen obey all laws, even unjust ones? Or, should they rebel for the sake of doing what is right? Democracy is ruled by the people, for the people. In both Socrates’ time, and Thoreau’s, the question remains on whether this was, in practice, true. The two iconic philosophers’ opinions regarding the duty of the citizen in a democracy, the role of conscience, and the importance of nonviolent resistance, still influence people to this day. Their views augment the understanding people have of the current democracy, how consciences deal with right and wrong, and roles as citizens questioning every issue. Philosophy is often ingrained in the history, politics, and the environment
Dr. Michael Shermer is a Professor, Founder of skeptic magazine, and a distinguished and brilliant American science writer to say the least. In His book The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People he sets out to embark on the daunting task of convincing and informing the reader on sciences’ ability to drives the expansion of humanity and the growth of the moral sphere. Although such a broad and general topic could be hard to explain, Shermer does so in a way that is concise, easy to understand, and refreshing for the reader. This novel is riddled with scientific facts, data, and pictures to back up shermers claims about the history of science, humanity and how the two interact with one another.
Honestly, in my opinion, this was one of the most confusing readings yet. I believe that I understand what Carl Sagan is attempting to say, but it seemed entirely too wordy. Chapter 14 of "The Demon Haunted World" revolves around modern views of science. There is, of course, the highly believable and reproducible experimental science, the highly believable but misguided pseudoscience, and the complete renunciation of science known as antiscience. Carl Sagan indirectly argues the importance of experimental science by displaying and refuting (sometimes sarcastically) the arguments and examples of antiscience. However, the open ended and sometimes unanswerable questions combined with the long, drawn-out sentences made it quite difficult to focus
In the article, the author reveals his passion for science began at an early age becoming curious to learning how things work, and as an adult qualified the gratification you receive from its understanding when he states “Doing science is still among my chief pleasures” (Sagan 2). Throughout the article, Sagan reiterates his passion for science while he explains the disconnect in today’s democratic American society due to the movement away from science and into an information and service economy. The author argues from the point of view of how children and adults who do not understand science could be detrimental to society because people are less knowledgeable about the world and have the inability to find new ideas. In a plea, the author explains “…how gratifying it is when we get it…” Sagan’s article in the Washington Post directly aligns with the interest and passion with our protagonist, Victor Frankenstein who says “I read and studied the wild fancies of these writers with delight; they appeared to me treasure know too few besides myself” (Shelley 22). Frankenstein describes his passion to learn the secrets to which nature holds for the purpose of rewards of discovery. And Sagan just like Frankenstein indicates “When you’re in love, you want to tell the world ” and”when we understand and put this knowledge to use, many feel, if not a wild exhilaration, a least a deep satisfaction” (Sagan 3). Although science is not absolute with a definitive answer it is important to collaborate with others thus roping them into thinking about how science integrates into their lives instead of maintain isolation giving no room for
Whether we choose to believe in the paranormal or not, we all have to realize that