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Just read a great book

ThePresence

ThePresence

Elite Member
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Anyone who's into science vs. religion, superstition and pseudoscience must read this book. It's easy to read, hard to put down and fascinating. While it did not change my religious beliefs an iota, it changed my prespective on certain issues.

When you finish reading this you can read The Science of God by Gerald L. Schroeder. 🙂
 
Yeah I read that book in Sept 2000.

Good at debunking a lot of garbage, but I thought he went a little overboard in some places where he "debunks" things I'm open to considering.

Sagan's part of the orthodox institution of science, so when he takes such hard-line positions it doesn't help scientists get funding to investigate areas he's already disposed of in his book. I see that as a loss.

In my life there's plenty of allowance for mystery, for things not (yet) testable by science.

Sagan's Dragons of Eden, too.
 
Originally posted by: scott
Yeah I read that book in Sept 2000.

Good at debunking a lot of garbage, but I thought he went a little overboard in some places where he "debunks" things I'm open to considering.

Sagan's part of the orthodox institution of science, so when he takes such hard-line positions it doesn't help scientists get funding to investigate areas he's already disposed of in his book. I see that as a loss.

In my life there's plenty of allowance for mystery, for things not (yet) testable by science.

Sagan's Dragons of Eden, too.
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Oh, I agree with that. My religious viewpoints did not change an iota because of him. Nobody has the answers to everything. I just loved the book and found it intellectually stimulating. Haven't read Dragons of Eden yet.
 
Originally posted by: ThePresence
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Anyone who's into science vs. religion, superstition and pseudoscience must read this book. It's easy to read, hard to put down and fascinating. While it did not change my religious beliefs an iota, it changed my prespective on certain issues.

When you finish reading this you can read The Science of God by Gerald L. Schroeder. 🙂
Click to expand...
I haven't read this book, but Sagan is like the father of sensationalistic pseudoscience IMO. He had a very bad habit of grabbing headlines (i.e., nuclear winter) and of crediting knowledge to science that was not scientific (i.e. extraterrestrial life). Not that I have no respect for the man. My respect for him is just mixed is all. He did a lot to advance science, but was not always ethical about how he did it IMO. When you watch some science documentary now and they talk in a sensationalistic fashion about "killer black holes" in the middle of galaxies, blame Sagan.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: ThePresence
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Anyone who's into science vs. religion, superstition and pseudoscience must read this book. It's easy to read, hard to put down and fascinating. While it did not change my religious beliefs an iota, it changed my prespective on certain issues.

When you finish reading this you can read The Science of God by Gerald L. Schroeder. 🙂
Click to expand...
I haven't read this book, but Sagan is like the father of sensationalistic pseudoscience IMO. He had a very bad habit of grabbing headlines (i.e., nuclear winter) and of crediting knowledge to science that was not scientific (i.e. extraterrestrial life). Not that I have no respect for the man. My respect for him is just mixed is all. He did a lot to advance science, but was not always ethical about how he did it IMO. When you watch some science documentary now and they talk in a sensationalistic fashion about "killer black holes" in the middle of galaxies, blame Sagan.
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If that's true, he must have changed his views completely by the time he wrote this book. Read it, you'll see.
 
Originally posted by: ThePresence
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Anyone who's into science vs. religion, superstition and pseudoscience must read this book. It's easy to read, hard to put down and fascinating. While it did not change my religious beliefs an iota, it changed my prespective on certain issues.

When you finish reading this you can read The Science of God by Gerald L. Schroeder. 🙂
Click to expand...

ive got a few of his books, theyre all worth reading. in addition to demon haunted worled, i have the dragons of eden, cosmos, and billions and billions
 
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