Books Quote by Carl Sagan
““The theologian Meric Casaubon argued—in his 1668 book, Of Credulity and Incredulity—that witches must exist because, after all, everyone believes in them. Anything that a large number of people believe must be true.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan, 1995
The argument claims that widespread belief validates existence, ignoring evidence and logical reasoning.
In simple terms: Popular belief doesn’t prove truth.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions based on popularity.
Themes
belief
logic
science
skepticism
truth
Mood
inquisitive
skeptical
educational
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- science education
- public discourse
- media analysis
- policy making
Key Concepts
epistemology
mass psychology
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we trust majority opinion?
- What evidence is needed to accept a claim?
A Different Perspective
Popular belief can be misleading without evidence.
![“[ 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)
