Carl%20Sagan%20-%20The%20Demon%20Haunted%20World

Science and Witchcraft
killing him, to kill this civilization . . . [This] was a man who
had in his head the most valuable and best-organized brain
that was ever crushed by a hammer.
Trends working at least marginally towards the implantation of a
very narrow range of attitudes, memories and opinions include
control of major television networks and newspapers by a small
number of similarly motivated powerful corporations and individuals,
the disappearance of competitive daily newspapers in
many cities, the replacement of substantive debate by sleaze in
political campaigns, and episodic erosion of the principle of the
separation of powers. It is estimated (by the American media
expert Ben Bagditrian) that fewer than two dozen corporations
control more than half of the global business in daily newspapers,
magazines, television, books and movies! The proliferation of
cable television channels, cheap long-distance telephone calls, fax
machines, computer bulletin boards and networks, inexpensive
computer self-publishing and surviving instances of the traditional
liberal arts university curriculum are trends that might work in the
opposite direction.
It's hard to tell how it's going to turn out.
The business of scepticism is to be dangerous. Scepticism
challenges established institutions. If we teach everybody, including,
say, high school students, habits of sceptical thought, they will
probably not restrict their scepticism to UFOs, aspirin commercials
and 35,000-year-old channellees. Maybe they'll start asking
awkward questions about economic, or social, or political, or
religious institutions. Perhaps they'll challenge the opinions of
those in power. Then where would we be?
Ethnocentrism, xenophobia and nationalism are these days rife in
many parts of the world. Government repression of unpopular
views is still widespread. False or misleading memories are
inculcated. For the defenders of such attitudes, science is disturbing.
It claims access to truths that are largely independent of
ethnic or cultural biases. By its very nature, science transcends
national boundaries. Put scientists working in the same field of
study together in a room and even if they share no common
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