Baloney Quote by Carl Sagan
““A deception arises, sometimes innocently but collaboratively, sometimes with cynical premeditation. Usually the victim is caught up in a powerful emotion - wonder, fear, greed, grief. Credulous acceptance of baloney can cost you money; that’s what P.T. Barnum meant when he said, “There’s a sucker born every minute’. But it can be much more dangerous than that, and when governments and societies lose the capacity for critical thinking, the results can be catastrophic, however sympathetic we may be to those who have bought the baloney.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: The Demon-Haunted World Lecture, Carl Sagan, 1995
Deception spreads when emotions override critical thinking, leading individuals and societies to accept falsehoods that can cause personal and collective harm.
In simple terms: Emotions can blind us to lies, causing damage.
Key Takeaway
Question skepticism, especially under strong emotions.
Themes
critical thinking
emotions
deception
societal risk
media literacy
Mood
cautious
concerned
Type
educational
warning
When to use this quote
- personal finance decisions
- political discourse
- media consumption
- public policy debates
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
propaganda
groupthink
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you recognize when emotion is clouding judgment?
- What steps can societies take to protect critical thinking?
A Different Perspective
Even with awareness, emotional appeal can still override rational analysis.
![“[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion, why do you not believe in materialistic science, which has an unparalleled record of fulfilled prophecy? Consider, for example, eclipses.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/875/carl-sagan-160_belief_when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-a_25095.jpg)
