The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

Championing skepticism above superstition

The Demon-Haunted World, published in 1996, is a collection of essays by astrophysicist turned popular science communicator Carl Sagan (1934–1996). Many of these essays were originally published as articles in various magazines and then adapted for this book. In particular, Sagan mentions Parade magazine, a nationwide Sunday newspaper supplement, as one recurring venue for his writings. Four of the book’s 25 chapters were cowritten by Sagan’s wife and frequent collaborator Ann Druyan.

In this book, Sagan tackles many different categories of the paranormal or pseudoscience, including angels and demons, reincarnation, ghosts, spiritualism, communication with the dead, hypnotism, UFOs, witchcraft, and more. Sagan begins by assessing the state of each belief in today’s society, and then talks about ways of addressing such topics. By explaining the scientific method and the logic techniques of “baloney detection,” Sagan instructs readers in how to practice intelligent skepticism. Probably because of his astronomical interests, the most thoroughly covered topic in this volume is that of UFOs and alien abductions. Sagan looks for scientific reasons behind why so many people claim to have been abducted and sexually abused by extraterrestrials, which leads him into the psychology of hallucinations and false memories. In addition to such supernatural myth-busing, Sagan also laments the sorry state of science education in America and offers suggestions on how we can improve scientific literacy. He is also critical of the scarcity of sound science presented in the news media, political rhetoric, and popular entertainment.

There are few figures of my lifetime that I admire more than Sagan. As far as I can recall, I agree with everything he has to say about matters pertaining to science and religion. He was a veritable knight in elbow-patched blazer the way he fearlessly championed rationalism and science to an overly religious and superstitious American public. The fact that I agree with his views so unilaterally, however, makes the reading of his writings less than exciting for me. I find this common when reading other writers of an atheist or freethinking bent. They’re basically just telling me things I’ve already figured out for myself. Sagan doesn’t have to convince me, because I was already convinced before I picked up the book. 

For similarly minded readers, the best this book has to offer is its revelations on just how pervasively pseudoscience and superstition have permeated our society. Since the book was published in 1996, I would assume the statistics Sagan cites regarding the number of Americans who believe in biblical literalism, ghosts, psychics, alien abductions, and so on are outdated, but I’m afraid those statistics have probably only gotten worse since then. The internet (which existed in 1996 but didn’t dominate our lives to the extent it does now) has only amplified conspiracy theories and tall tales of the paranormal, and it seems like American politicians become more religious and less scientific with each election. If you are a rationalist, and you weren’t already ashamed of American anti-intellectualism, you’ll likely be mortified after reading The Demon-Haunted World.

Fortunately, this book is so well-written that Sagan may very well have changed many minds that were on the fence about astrology, witchcraft, UFO abductions, and the like. His tone throughout the book is that of a hopeful educator. He wants to change people’s minds, but he doesn’t stoop to insulting people’s beliefs. He does, however, go after some prominent paranormal hucksters. Though I felt like much of the book’s content was familiar and just plain common sense, I’m glad somebody wrote this book. The world (or at least the United States) really needs it, and no one could have written it better than Sagan.