Carl Sagan's vision of today's world

Submitted by Jeff_Souza t3_zus1nc in books

This year i had one of the most mindblowing readings of my whole life. A book written in the 90's by one of the humankind greatest minds, the astrophycist and skeptism intelectual Carl Sagan.

The demon-haunted world warns its reader about the danger that pseudoscience and forms of non sense beliefs are a big thread for the society in general and how this was turning(in the authors vision) America's citizens into people who gave more worth to ignorance and less worth to reason.

It's crazy to think that someone almost 30 years ago could show people what the world was becoming because of people defending to not follow the benefits of scientific research. As it's possible to notice in groups that rised in the last 4 years like the AntiVax and flat earthers.

If you are somebody who is worried about the way that the human race is taking nowadays after many centuries of discoveries and scientific progress that's definetely a MUST READ.

141

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Dollarist t1_j1l6lrp wrote

The Demon-Haunted World, yes. “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

61

SuperOliverTwist t1_j1lkjfp wrote

Reminds me of what Isaac Asimov said:

>"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' " > >― Isaac Asimov

60

sharrrper t1_j1m6rlm wrote

>I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...

>The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance

Would need a time machine to get the prediction more accurate

41

YoureALousyButler t1_j1lz9ez wrote

I adored Sagan. But I also loved listening to Art Bell.

Now, I'm nowhere near the sharpest tool in the shed but I was intelligent enough to discern that while both existed in the realm of "Space" one was based on fact and theory. While the other was fantasy.

Not sure where/how/why it happened but it seems many can't delineate between them anymore.

Add to that a rise in whacked out evangelicalism and every single crazy person out their has their own bizarre theories that they could fill their very own bible with.

12

Suspicious-Shock-934 t1_j1laqzk wrote

For a laugh watch some of George Carlin's old specials from the 70s and see how relevant they remain and how salient his points are when it comes to politics.

9

DumpedDalish t1_j1n2197 wrote

I love all of Carl's books, but I still remember how much that one saddened, worried, and flat-out scared me. It's the only one I don't reread regularly.

And, of course, it was so damn prescient. It's like he looked forward two-plus decades straight into the gaping maw of today's volatile, toxic, antiscience world.

As Carl was always such a positive, joyous voice for science and the future of humanity, it's sad to me that he had lost so much hope for us as humans (at least, for the relative short term).

Not that he was wrong. Like I said, it's the only one of his books I don't regularly revisit. It's just too sad, and too accurate.

4

BrooklynBillyGoat t1_j1mjxlu wrote

Carl Sagan is truly gifted teacher educator. Sucks he was so right in this case

3

Peter_Falcon t1_j1mtvl9 wrote

one of the best books ever written

3

MarkMeThis t1_j1nclxt wrote

That's the one book I wish everybody would read.

3

meresymptom t1_j1ltjv2 wrote

Did Sagan suggest any action items?

2

AsamaMaru t1_j1mit7h wrote

Why not read "The Demon-Haunted World" for yourself and find out? This is partly what Sagan is referring to.

10

FartyMcGee__ t1_j1orak0 wrote

Carl Saran tried very hard to convince people. But people in general are just too willfully ignorant to listen. He may have slowed the progress of the cancer on humanity but I'm thinking he cannot save the patient.

1

JustOneMore2020 t1_j1m2qsb wrote

Just don't forget one thing: "We have in this world the good science and the bad science", that's why we have a lot of people who don't believe completely in what all scientists say. And you have to respect their opinions, otherwise you will have a boring life being right all the time. Be safe.

−6

legalizemonapizza t1_j1o0v8b wrote

Are you quoting yourself? I can't find that quote anywhere, and you didn't source it.

Anyways, no.

2

tolkienfan2759 t1_j1lwjf6 wrote

...eh, sorry to burst your bubble here, but Sagan was not a great mind. He was a pretty pedestrian scientist - I mean, he taught at Cornell, but Thomas Sowell taught at Stanford - someone has to. They hire thousands and keep some, often for reasons that have little to do with intellectual achievement or capacity.

Now, I don't mean he was an idiot; he wasn't. He was a very bright guy. But one of humanity's greatest minds... not even close, sorry. Linus Pauling, maybe. Francis Crick, maybe. These were scientists who dominated their fields and maybe could have dominated any scientific field they chose to go into. They were smart. And they didn't even make (or, for all I know, even attempt) any significant achievements in the field of morality, which is where humanity really needs to improve.

−25

-rba- t1_j1lywb3 wrote

Hi, planetary scientist here. I got my PhD at Cornell and worked down the hall from Sagan's former office. You're partly right: he was a good scientist. Some of his work is still cited today but was not as revolutionary as an Einstein or Darwin or something. But hardly anyone is, and he did do some important work. I've cited his stuff.

But he was the greatest science communicator ever. He synthesized ideas from philosophers and scientists from the ancient to the recent past with modern scientific ideas and was not afraid to embrace the awe and wonder of science. He communicated not just facts but emotion. His impact in terms of inspiring generations of scientists, not to mention science literacy more broadly, is incalculable. Many of my peers are scientists because of him. It's a different kind of greatness than coming up with general relativity, but still great.

27

tolkienfan2759 t1_j1m13bh wrote

lol I stand corrected

7

AlaskaExplorationGeo t1_j1omxz4 wrote

I'm also a scientist (a geologist) and Sagan definitely was one of my inspirations for going down this road and I'm sure the same is true for countless other scientists.

Noticing your username there, Tolkien was another one of my inspirations! A love of both science and tales of adventure in the mountains tends to lead one towards the geosciences!

2

tolkienfan2759 t1_j1pu24w wrote

You know, I've never been tempted to read anything of Sagan's before, but now I think I will... who knows, maybe he'll inspire me too... or maybe I'll come back in three months with a repellently cynical takedown! lol sorry guys

1

Blakids t1_j1nbjw9 wrote

Downvoted for changing your mind.

Never change reddit. Actually do, because that's pretty toxic

−1