The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan

I found this review I wrote in college for the Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Apparently I wasn't too fond of the book:

 

   The Demon-Haunted World is a very intelligent book that demands respect in its thoroughness and longevity. Carl Sagan identifies today’s misconceptions and systematically picks them apart piece by piece. That being said, I believe The Demon-Haunted World to be repetitive and somewhat insulting in its processes.
     The repetitiveness of Sagan’s book is most likely due to its format and origin. The Demon-Haunted World is a collection of essays, and being so does not feel uniform or smooth in its transitions. When I say that the book does not feel uniform, I mean each chapter doesn’t assume that you’ve read the chapter before it. There is a knowledge build up with most books that you read, but each chapter in The Demon-Haunted World has its own introduction and explanation of concepts which were explained in the previous chapter and the chapter before that. This leads to a sort of irritation and reluctance to keep reading.
     In one of the opening chapters, Sagan points out that one of the top box office movies during the time that he was writing his book was Dumb and Dumber. He also tells the reader that a very popular television show of this time is Beavis and Butthead. Sagan presents both of these pieces of information and alludes to a decline in 21^st century human intelligence. This makes Sagan seem like a bitter old man pointing out the flaws with the whippersnappers of the current generation while he reminisces upon the golden age of his hay day.

     To be specific Sagan states, “The dumbing down of America 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.” What Sagan sees as a celebration of ignorance, I see as an escape from multitasking mania. In the go-go-go world that we live in today, where it’s nearly impossible to accomplish everything that we need to without multitasking all of the time, it’s nice to turn your brain off for an hour or two to watch some mindless entertainment.

     The Demon-Haunted World is a fantastic book with valuable processes, quotes, and cautions, however I do not agree with all of Mr. Sagan's views. I would consider it somewhat dangerous to think of everyone of Sagan’s notions as gospel. Sagan says it best himself, “if we can’t think for ourselves, if we’re unwilling to question authority, then we’re just putty in the hands of those in power.”