| | The Demon Haunted World is without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read. I had tears in my eyes after I finished it and thought about what a terrible loss it was when Carl Sagan died. And what a terrible loss for me that I wasn't previously more familiar with Mr. Sagan's work beyond having seen the movie Contact. This is an amazing, awe-inspiring yet thought provoking book that's been masterfully written.
Just as I felt after reading Atlas Shrugged nearly five years ago, I wish I'd read this book many years earlier. Now I will be recommending The Demon Haunted World to anyone and everyone that will listen, particularly Objectivists. Why? Because an awful lot of Objectivists could benefit greatly from the many wise passages such as this:
In the way that skepticism is sometimes applied to issues of public concern, there is a tendency to belittle, to condescend, to ignore the fact, that, deluded or not, supporters of superstitions and pseudoscience are human-beings with real beliefs, who, like the skeptics, are trying to figure out how the world works and what our role in it might be. Their motives are in many cases consonant with science. If their culture has not given them all the tools they need to pursue this great quest, let us temper our criticism with kindness. None of us comes fully equipped.
(Edited by Marvin Paul Thomas on 11/27, 12:08am)
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