Science as a Candle in the Dark

In his 1995 book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, Carl Sagan delivered a passionate defense of rational thought and scientific literacy in a world vulnerable to superstition, misinformation, and pseudoscience. Concerned about the growing influence of unverified claims, conspiracy theories, and magical thinking, Sagan used the book to teach readers how to think critically and evaluate evidence. One of his most enduring contributions from this work is the “baloney detection kit”—a set of intellectual tools for spotting flawed arguments, biased reasoning, and misleading rhetoric. Sagan stressed that science is not just a collection of facts but a disciplined way of thinking, one that combines openness to new ideas with rigorous skepticism. For him, skepticism was not cynicism—it was a safeguard against deception and a means of arriving at deeper truths. His message remains strikingly relevant today, as digital information spreads faster than ever and the need for evidence-based reasoning becomes more urgent.