Description: "A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought."
*Los Angeles Times

"POWERFUL . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing."
*The Washington Post Book World

How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.

Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is bur...

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Review: Sagan, master popularizer of science (and an eminent astronomer in his own right) considered science a "candle in the dark." In this book he takes aim at the forms of pseudoscience that so many are embracing today: New Age wisdom, transcendental meditation, advice from the Psychic Friends Network, reports of alien abductions and UFO "cover-ups," supposed evidence of civilizations on other planets, "channeling" information from the dead. Why, asks Sagan, do so many of us reserve our sense of wonder for the untestable when verifiable science offers so much that is awe-inspiring? He makes a compelling case for combating the scientific illiteracy that surveys suggest afflicts 95% of Americans. We must become a nation of critical thinkers able to make intelligent decisions on science-related national policy; our very survival, he maintains, depends upon it. Sagan's book Cosmos is among the most widely read popular science books ever written. Not surprisingly, this one is another science pag...

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