Two Book Reviews: Sagan and Pullman
Just finished two books over the Thanksgiving break: Carl Sagan's posthumous: The Varieties of Scientific Experience and Philip Pullman's: The Golden Compass The publication of Carl Sagan's "The Varieties of Scientific Experience" might well go to prove that there is life after death - although the work itself would tend to put that in doubt. Sagan's latest book is taken from a series of lectures he gave for the Gifford Lectures, which specifically address the topic of natural theology or "the knowledge of God." In this work, Sagan advances his thoughts on the relationship between science and religion, doing so in his own unique calm, courteous and enlightening manner. His mild, yet definitive approach stands in stark contrast to the more caustic and militant approach in other recent atheist/freethinking publications, such as those by Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, etc. (whose works I have also reviewed and are certainly worth a r