Carl Edward Sagan (9 November 1934 – 20 December 1996) was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, and science communicator, best known for the television series Cosmos and for his advocacy of scientific rationality against pseudoscience and the paranormal — most fully articulated in his final major book, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1995). He was a founding fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (originally CSICOP) in the 1970s.[1]
Scientific career
Sagan attended the University of Chicago, completing a BA in 1954, a BS in 1955, and an MS in physics in 1956, before earning a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics in 1960. His early scholarly work included an experimental demonstration of ATP synthesis under primitive-Earth conditions and a proposal that the greenhouse effect explained Venus's extreme surface temperature.[2] He served as the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, and played a leading role in NASA's Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo spacecraft missions, receiving NASA's Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and, twice, its Distinguished Public Service Medal. In 1983, he co-authored the paper introducing the concept of "nuclear winter."[3]
Cosmos
Sagan's Emmy- and Peabody-winning television series Cosmos became the most widely watched series in the history of American public television, and its accompanying book remains one of the best-selling science books ever published in English.[3]
CSICOP and the Sagan standard
Sagan was a founding fellow of CSICOP in the 1970s, and became closely associated with the phrase "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" — the Sagan standard — which he popularised in his 1979 book Broca's Brain and in Cosmos, adapting it from an earlier formulation by sociologist Marcello Truzzi. He publicly dismantled the pseudo-astrophysical theories of psychoanalyst Immanuel Velikovsky, delivering a widely noted blow to Velikovsky's already fragile scientific credibility.[1] Sagan wrote warmly of his own enjoyment of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, describing the anticipation he felt each time a new issue arrived and the fresh examples of pseudoscientific claims — "crop circles," alien visitation, and the like — that it never failed to catalogue.[4]
The Demon-Haunted World
Published in 1995 (four of its 25 chapters co-written with his wife, Ann Druyan), The Demon-Haunted World argued that scientific thinking was essential not only to the pursuit of truth but to the health of democratic society, examining and rebutting claims including witchcraft, faith healing, demonic possession, ESP, alien abduction, and UFOs. The book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and became a New York Times bestseller, and Martin Gardner, reviewing it for The Washington Post, praised Sagan's wit in recounting various historical scientific swindles and hoaxes.[5]
Views and other advocacy
Sagan expressed scepticism toward conventional organised religion while denying he was an atheist, and used his public standing for political advocacy, including campaigning for nuclear disarmament and opposing the Reagan administration's Strategic Defense Initiative.[5] He received the Pulitzer Prize and the Oersted Medal, among numerous other honours, for his contributions to science, literature, and education.[3]
Death
Sagan died on 20 December 1996 in Seattle, Washington, following complications from myelodysplasia.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Carl Edward Sagan."Encyclopedia.com.
- ↑ "The Demon-haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark."Google Books.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark."Amazon.
- ↑ "Remembering Carl Sagan."Skeptical Inquirer.28 February 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Carl Sagan."Encyclopaedia Britannica.