The Demon-Haunted World Summary

In this chapter of the book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark , Sagan argues that humans have a tendency to believe in demons throughout the centuries and this belief makes them feel better. As we can see today, many young, bright people still believe in strange creatures such as aliens and supernatural beings despite the major leap in science. In many traditions, these creatures are identified in different forms such as an incubi, djinns, and satyrs. Sagan notes a similarity between the past and the modern world, as knowledgeable as humans have become, we are still attracted to the same beliefs. The key difference is that we have transitioned from demons to ghosts and aliens. As a result of this belief that stemmed from

Similarly, in 1982 David Hufford who was an educated executive recalled that as a teenager he “witnessed a white, glowing figure climbing the stairs” and these figures would change each night. Sagan questioned that, “If Anne Jefferies had grown up in a culture touting aliens [...] the “abductees” tell?” This question pertains to the difference between credulity and skepticism which Edward Gibbon described about the difference in depth in his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. An argument arose that the supporters of the old beliefs in demons and such will also lean over to the idea of aliens as a real being. Sagan includes many examples of communications with supernaturals without evidence and sensibility. Strieber who was “abducted” by aliens but “is now open to the possibility that these nighttime terrors were dreams or hallucinations.” The Cult Explosion by Dave Hunt claims that there is a possibility UFOs are “demonic manifestations from another dimensions” and Hal lindsey who is the author of Planet Earth-2000 A.D. professes that these flying saucers are part of a Satanic plot but there is no evidence for any of these