Response to Chapters of the Titled The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan - Book Report/Review Example

Chapter Two Chapter two of The Demon-Haunted World goes on to explain that while science and technology are key aspects of making our world go round, we, as humans, do not understand how any of it works, nor do we seem to care. We are merely pleased by knowing that everything is in working order, as it should be. Yet, as the chapter goes on, it is mentioned that one day, our ignorance of these things will “blow up in our faces.” It is not that difficult to agree with what is being said in chapter two. It is stated that “we’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements […] profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology.” Again, most of what we, as humans, depend on are created by things that we have no patience to learn. We are content with the fact that everything is being cared for by someone, or something, else, and that we can just sit back and take what we can get. We have no appreciation for how anything is capable of working, just as long as we are able to use it when we need it. This kind of ignorance can cause for trouble. With such great powers as science and technology, it would do us well to understand and comprehend them, lest it gets the better of us when we least expect it. Without knowledge, humans will be at a loss in the event that something happens beyond our control (or even by something that is within our control). People are no longer controlled by their stupidity as much as by their ignorance. When humans are unable to figure out something in its proper context, they simply make up their own ideas and theories. With this kind of ignorance, we are only lying to ourselves, and we are not giving ourselves the chance to discover what really is going on behind the scenes of the world and of life. Chapter Three The Man on the Moon and the face on Mars are merely the workings of the human mind. As infants, we are able to comprehend and recognize human faces. Therefore, we have the tendency to find faces where there really is none. This also applies to when people believe they have found the image of a religious icon in their fruits, vegetables, or bread products – it is just their mind recognizing a face, because their mind is automatically set to do so. There are also many fruits and vegetables, and even animals and insects, that have features about them that a human would notice in a human face. Many of the things that people think they see on a planet, or the moon or sun, are simply tricks of their minds. They can also be created by geographical factors, such as comets and asteroids. Natural occurrences are making people see what they want to see, and not allowing them to accept what it really could be. They dispel the truth of something that makes more sense to them, just to gain that sense of comfort. Yet again, we see that people are ignoring knowledge because they are unaware of what could be out there, even if it is as mundane as an asteroid. Science and technology are able to give them viable answers, though they shunt those to the side for something a little more easily to comprehend. People continue to ignore the knowledge, and this can only make them more closed-minded when this knowledge will come to be needed. In other cases where people believe to see faces or other things on the planets, moon, and sun, these “faces” are also formed to our eye, though they are just crevices in the surface of what it is we are looking at. This goes back to the fact that we are expectant of human faces, so odds are that we would be able to find one anywhere, and it would not be normal if we did not see, at least once, a face where it does not belong. Chapter Eight In chapter eight, we see the causes and effects of hypnosis when trying to recall alien abduction situations. It is noted that “memory can be contaminated. False memories can be implanted even in minds that do not consider themselves vulnerable and uncritical.” This is in regards to whether one should share their bizarre experiences or not, or if they should try to receive help in remembering them clearly. Hypnosis is a very unreliable source when it comes to trying to remember specific incidents down to the last detail. The doctor in charge of the hypnosis is able to cue the patients with certain phrases, which causes the patients to immediately jump into a tale that most likely never happened. A person might not have ever been abducted, but if you put them under hypnosis and mention something as simple as a “light overhead,” the patient will be able to feed you all sorts of stories that did not take place. Due to the influencing of memories, it becomes difficult for one to distinguish reality from fantasy, and vice versa. “In a world plagued with uncertainty and horror, these people longed for contact with the divine.” People are so bent up on believing in something, that they are willing to believe in everything and anything. They might not be the least bit religious, but as soon as they see an apparition of Jesus or the Virgin Mary, which is, in most times, not there but a trick of their eyes and mind, they become believers. Sometimes people succumb to lies about what did or did not happen to impress people, or to gain attention. In any case, what could have been a simple nightmare, or a moment of confusion, is able to be turned around to create a tale of alien abduction, which, in turn, can create pandemonium among people who are willing to believe anything. Chapter Ten It is difficult at times to prove that many things are real, yet it is also extremely easy to convince someone that something exists by just telling them that it does; then going on to cover up your story so that the thing cannot be found, while still insisting that it does, indeed, exist. If there is no way to disprove something, who is to say that it does not exist? Without proof of something existing, and yet without proof that it does not exist, one cannot be too quick to dispel the idea. The task of proving and disproving is not an easy one. In some cases, there is plenty of evidence to help support a claim, and yet in most, there is only the word of the person who claims to believe in it. Some choose to ignore the idea until evidence is brought up, while others just shunt the claim aside, claiming that it can be impossible. Chapter ten is about proving and disproving claims and theories, as well as why people (including scientists and therapists) should not be so quick to turn something down because of how unlikely it sounds. Immediate proof is not what it takes to prove something; it takes time, effort, money, and research to be able to prove something as big as life on other planets, or aliens abducting our own people. Things of a scientifically or technological nature are not just a yes or no answer, but require valid arguments and findings through research before a final answer can be given. Nothing in life is that simple, especially when it is as something big as aliens and life outside of our planet. All of this falls back to hypnosis creating memories for people. In chapter ten, it was seen that a therapist and his patient had switched roles: the therapist was finding himself believing what his patient said, and questioning as to “why not?” Chapter Twelve Many people feel that fantasy is easier to accept than the truth. When something devastating happens, or something that they cannot explain, they connect it with something else to make things easier for them to handle, and to understand. Once again, people that do this find themselves unable to differentiate between reality and fantasy, because they are too caught up in what they want to believe, as opposed to what they should believe. When it comes to trying to decide between reality and fantasy, it is best to approach the claim with an open mind as well as skepticism. It is wise to be willing to accept everything, but not to do it without solid proof, or without jumping straight to a conclusion without fully considering other options or possibilities. One of the most important things to do when trying to prove something is also knowing that it can be disproved. Either evidence for or against will be a great asset to the actual experiment. Some of the things to consider when trying to decipher fantasy from reality is to, first and foremost, be prepared in what you need to do to either prove or disprove a claim. Do not be anxious to do one or the other, because it may not turn out as anybody plans, as it typical when it comes to science. Finding articles of debate for both sides is a good place to begin; knowing what others feel for or against the claim will aid in the different experiments one can do when testing the claim. As stated at the beginning of the book, in chapter two, people are closed-minded and are happy with being ignorant to some of the bigger aspects of life. If they do not open up, and do not control how their minds work and how they view the world around them, then they can be stuck in a mundane world that holds very little truth to them. Chapter Two Science has many faces: correct and incorrect; strengths and weaknesses; successes and failures. Yet through all of it, science will always be shrouded over with uncertainty. “The uncertainty arises in many ways, and the nature of the uncertainty may change through time, but the scientific endeavor is never free of uncertainty.” All science and technological experiments begin with uncertainty, but that is where the experiments come in at: to prove a theory and to make the facts certain. The uncertainties that scientists face are hardly different from the uncertainties and difficulties that the rest of us face on a day-to-day basis. Oddly enough, those that are not heavily involved in science often find it easier to comprehend and to apply, as opposed to the scientists, who are always finding something else to be improved upon. “Certainty is a source of contentment.” This naturally makes sense, as there are many things that people do or believe in that would not be done or believed in if there was uncertainty involved (although some religions and religious people are exempt from this – though they do not have solid proof, they still find no trouble in believing in what they do). People feel safe when they know that something is exactly as it should be, to their standards. There are times when scientists are unable to provide full explanation for why something is the way it is. This causes impatience and discontent in the general public. This often happens when it comes to illnesses and diseases, when science does not have an actual cure for it, or concrete ideas and reasoning to why people get certain diseases while others do not. People then begin to doubt the abilities of the scientists, and this throws them into an uncertain world that nobody can explain to them. Chapter Six There are three different ways of measuring things: taking numerous measurements on a single subject, a one-time measurement of numerous objects, and a set of measurements that is taken over a specific amount of time. Each process, while able to come to the same conclusion depending on what the study consists of, can also find different things that were not even being originally looked for. Our desire to assess probabilities in everyday life is deeply embedded. People are always trying to figure out the chance of one thing or another. It gives people a sense of control, being able to “predict” things, such as the weather for the following day. Though it could hardly be seen as predicting as much as narrowing down the possibilities, which is what the majority of science is. “We clearly recognize that, while future knowledge will likely serve us better, we usually do not have the luxury of being able to wait for future knowledge. Incomplete knowledge is usually better than none.” This goes to show that while we do have the option of predicting an outcome or what is to come, we cannot always wait around for it to show itself to us. We have to take action, or do what we need to do, when we need to do it. The only thing that can be sure is that once that moment passes, it is gone for good. While predictability may help, it is not always the best option to wait around. However, probability and predictability can be helpful when faced with something that had taken place prior. The factors that determined that previous incident can be viewed again for the present and future incidents. Though these outcomes may not always turn out to be as expected, because in relation to science, can change without warning, and onto a path that was not seen before. Chapter Ten “The future is a moving target, that divining its characteristics is always tough, and it gets tougher the further ahead one tries to see.” Divining the future is a difficult and, in most cases, impossible thing to do properly. Even if something is guessed correctly, there are still numerous things that are going to be uncertain. This makes divination one of the most unsuccessful and bumpy sciences in the world. There have been many instances when something was predicted, and yet it proven to be wrong. Divining the future will only give people more things to be skeptical about, as well as expectant. Predicting the future also goes hand-in-hand with probability. When all of the chances and options are looked at, things of the near future can possibly be deciphered. This does not always hold true, but it gives a greater chance that the “foreseen” outcomes are more correct than just guessing and hoping that you are right. Scientists have spent decades trying to predict things such as earthquakes and tornadoes, as well as numerous other natural weather occurrences. Now with the help of improved science and technology, many weather patterns can be seen that can predict what the weather for the next few days will be. Unfortunately, things such as earthquakes and other forms of natural weather phenomena are unable to be predicted, though science has been able to get a more clear idea of when they could happen. This, though, is not the same as predicting the future, more so than it is detecting a pattern and following it. Read More