Book Review - Carl Sagan - The Demon-Haunted World

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1997 – Headline Press The title might make you assume this is a horror novel but far from it. Sagan, the late great astronomer, offers a non-fiction study – a leading scientist’s eye view of claims about the paranormal and why so many are appropriately sceptical about assertions regarding ghosts, demons and UFO abductions in particular. Sagan notes the remarkable similarities between first-hand accounts of ghost sightings, and UFO sightings, and miraculous visions of saints. He does not believe that such claims are often simply fraudulent. What he does notice is the remarkable uniformity of such sightings. He sees that in the Western cultures UFO sightings are more common after the release of successful books and movies depicting ‘flying saucers’ and such, and invariably feature little grey or blue aliens with big skulls suggesting vast intelligence and big eyes. Many people claiming to have been abducted by aliens describe the entities walking through walls, and using levitation or other magical powers once attributed to demons or angels. Interesting, in Eastern Europe aliens are describe more frequently as swarthy troll like beings in keeping with prominent folk-lore and literature. Many social workers and psychiatrists are criticised for inducing beliefs in alien abduction in patients during the heightened suggestion of hypnotic regression therapies. The patients and clients often expressed little regard for such notions before their therapy sessions. Social workers in England and the US have launched investigations into supposed Satanic Cults that have systematically bred and sacrificed babies, but every such case has failed to lead to the discovery of any physical evidence – the old fashioned hysterias of the Middle Ages are still with us and potentially just as deadly to many innocent victims. We may assume today that continued belief in the trappings of superstitions is harmless but there are increasing cases of people being executed for suspected witchcraft, told to abandon serious medicines in favour of quackery even for serious cancers and other diseases only treatable with proper prescribed, controlled medication or surgery, and people killed in desperate attempts at exorcism to clear them of evil spirits. Sagan notes that some claims of alien abduction involving sexual abuse may be a victim’s way to cover up for abuse by relatives. As he states, it is perhaps a little more comforting to see the abuser as an alien from beyond the stars than Daddy or your own uncles. A powerful work that is very scholarly and in many ways more scary than any actual horror story marketed as fiction. Youtube – An episode of Carl Sagan’s ground breaking Cosmos TV study with a great theme tune by Vangelis Arthur Chappell