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The Demon-Haunted World was originally published in 1995. Twenty five years may have passed since, but this book remains as important today as it was back then.

As a whole, this book represents the defense of scientific thinking and skepticism against pseudoscience and superstition. Carl Sagan explains why scientific thinking is essential and breaks down some of the most popular myths and pretensions of pseudoscience. According to Sagan, the temptation to irrationality is not only a cultural error but a dangerous leap into darkness, which endangers our most basic freedoms.

Carl Sagan spent part of his life trying to teach science and its way of thinking to the general public. He had a gift for it, one that many top scientists don’t have. In The Demon-Haunted World we get to have a look at his capabilities. His prose, the intelligent way in which he makes his point and leaves the reader thinking about it, the clever anecdotes, and all the historical and cultural references (from before Ancient Greece to our times, as well as his personal life) are evidence.

In a time during which political entities (and not only) would rather make use of ignorance than science, I would say the message Carl Sagan is trying to convene remains even more relevant today. Its our duty as citizens to remain conscious of that. We can apply scientific thinking to our everyday life.

The Demon Haunted World should be read in schools. It addresses many topics that would otherwise never be spoken among students, teachers and even the general public.

“As I close this eloquent and fascinating book, I recall the final chapter title from one of Carl Sagan’s earlier works, Cosmos. ‘Who Speaks for Earth?� is a rhetorical question, but I presume to answer it. My candidate for planetary ambassador can be none other than Carl Sagan himself. He is wise, humane, witty, well read, and incapable of composing a dull sentence.� I wish I had written The Demon-Haunted World. Having failed to do so the least I can do is press it upon my friends. Please read this book.� - Richard Dawkins

“Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking.� - Carl Sagan