He describes how the hoax of crop circles and the misconception that satellite photos depict a face on Mars spread the myth of extraterrestrials, which was then repurposed by those who purportedly experienced abductions.

To detail the scientific method of thinking, Sagan applies it to various claims of pseudoscience, though his major focus is on reports of UFOs and alien abductions. Most people don’t have the critical thinking skills to dispel such notions, but Sagan offers hope: The scientific method has built in error-correcting machinery, and it can be adapted as a way of thinking.

Sagan states that the most precious thing we have is a sense of wonder toward the world, though this is often misled by pseudoscientific claims.

At university, effective teachers broadened Sagan's horizons in all scientific disciplines and in the humanities, a round education he considers vital to his success. In a short preface, Sagan details the teachers who influenced him, particularly his parents, who fostered his inquisitiveness and supported his natural inclinations toward science and the natural world. This guide refers to the 1997 Ballentine Books edition. Adapted from the simplicity of the scientific method, Sagan’s discipline of critical thinking is presented as a salve against the deterioration of America, strengthening its people and buttressing its robust democratic institution. Sagan views the ability to do this as vital not only to an individual’s healthy development, but as a counter-force to the dire lack of education and critical thinking he sees overcoming the country, turning it into a fractious nation awash in false information. Recognizing that the easy awe of pseudoscience is obscuring the natural wonders of scientific exploration and discovery, Sagan develops a Baloney Detection Kit, which prevents being misled by spurious arguments and manipulative half-truths, while enabling a clear method for determining valid information and progressively increasing knowledge. The Demon-Haunted World traces Sagan’s argument over the course of 25 chapters, in which he details the basic components of critical thinking while referring to case studies drawn from the realm of pseudoscience, ranging from alien abductions to witchcraft.

The demon haunted world book