"Carl Sagan's Prophecy: When Science Collapses Before Populism"

In his book "A World Haunted by Demons," he writes: "Immense technological power will be concentrated in so few hands that none of those who are supposed to represent the public interest will even be able to understand what it means." "Why is Sagan's prediction about mass ignorance and the concentration of power in a few hands coming true before our eyes?"

We recently published a disturbing piece of news here aboutThe US has lost its leadership in almost all areas of critical technologies to China.Within two decades, from almost total control to leading with almost zero technological numbers. That is, those who wanted to see the writing on the wall didn't have to wait until the disaster occurred in reality.

There were those who predicted one by one the events that make up our reality in 2025: populism, the technology companies' fooling around with the world while abusing their power, and also the sharp and rapid crushing of the entire US government scientific infrastructure in the name of irrational beliefs, for example, that there is no connection between humans and global warming, but instead of fighting the issue with scientific evidence, they simply break the mirrors and disconnect the public from the NOAA databases that scientists used to prove this connection, and the closure of all the departments that dealt with the issue at NASA, NOAA, and many other agencies. Another irrationality is expressed in the denial of vaccines, an area in which, by the way, the US led and which will now also be cut.

The one who predicted this was none other than the great astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan. He saw the same writing on the wall as early as the early 1990s. A year before his death, he wrote in the book "A World Haunted by Demons - Science Fiddles in the Dark" (Hebrew translation by Emanuel Lotem, late).

This explosive mixture of ignorance and power exploded in our faces.

"Science is not just a store of knowledge; science is also a way of thinking. I will fear the America of my children's and grandchildren's time - when the United States will be a mere weapon of services and information; almost all major industries will have fled to other countries. Enormous technological power will be concentrated in so few hands that none of those who are supposed to represent the public interest will even be able to understand what things are meant to be. People will lose the ability to define their priorities, or to present informed questions to those in power. And we, who seek enlightenment from our crystals and consult our horoscopes with trepidation, having given up all critical judgment, the ability to distinguish between what seems good and the truth, will almost unwittingly descend into a dark abyss of superstition."

He goes on to write: "We have established a global civilization whose most essential components: transportation, communications, and all other branches of the economy: agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, environmental protection – depend primarily on science and technology. This is a recipe for disaster. We may be able to escape it for a while, but sooner or later this explosive mixture of ignorance and power is going to explode in our faces."

Every word carved in stone.

Comparison between forecast and reality

It's hard not to feel how terribly relevant the things Carl Sagan wrote in the early-mid 1990s (especially in "A World Haunted") sound in our current era. Here are some key points that emerge from what you've said:

1. Concentration of power in the hands of a few
   Sagan predicted that as the technological-scientific system becomes increasingly complex, the number of people who understand it deeply decreases. As a result, power – whether economic, political or cultural – is concentrated in the hands of a very small group. A prominent contemporary example of this is the control of information infrastructures, algorithms and vast data bases by a handful of giant technology corporations. In such a reality, as Sagan warned, public representatives (including politicians and judges) sometimes have difficulty understanding what decisions are required to ensure the public interest – simply because the technology is so complex.
2. The weakening of science and the rise of superstition
   Sagan wrote that when the general public (and even elected officials) are not properly educated in science and do not engage in critical thinking, a vacuum is created that is filled with irrational beliefs and conspiracy theories. When the public does not trust science or does not recognize its basic tools, it is easy to promote campaigns of climate denial, questioning the safety of vaccines, or denying established facts of any kind. In the background, Sagan noted that giant industries or political elements could exploit this lack of understanding and confusion to promote agendas that have no scientific basis.
3. Populism and the attack on scientific infrastructure
   Sagan's argument was that when public discourse becomes highly populist—that is, relying on momentary emotion, short slogans, and catchphrases rather than intellectual debate—scientific infrastructures (such as research agencies, university research institutes, and government agencies) may weaken or close simply because they are "unpopular." In such a situation, government decisions (even on issues like global warming or public health) may be made based on short-term political convenience or narrow economic interests, rather than on long-term scientific evidence.
4. “An explosive mixture of ignorance and power”
   This is probably the most pointed statement in the book: Sagan pointed out that the vast scientific and technological knowledge can propel human civilization in wonderful directions (treatment of diseases, advanced transportation systems, development of clean energy, and more), but if this knowledge and power fall into hands that do not understand them or do not see themselves as committed to the public good, they may become a destructive tool. "Ignorance" is not necessarily a lack of intelligence, but a failure to internalize the values ​​of scientific thinking: doubting, seeking evidence, testing conclusions and replacing them in the event of contradictions - all of which "stand in the way" of populism that is easier to stir up through emotions and catchy stickers.
5. The relevance of Sagan's warning
   In the example of the US losing its technological lead to China, one can clearly identify Sagan's fear of a situation in which a country that relies on science and technology will abandon them in favor of shortcuts, emotional campaigns, scientific denials, or simply neglect of public research and development. When science, instead of being seen as an engine of long-term growth and investment, is seen as an "alienated elite" or an "obstacle," the nation sabotages its own power.
6. The neglect of education and critical thinking
   One of Sagan's consistent messages is the necessity of scientific and technological education and the cultivation of critical thinking as the basis for a functioning democracy. Without critical thinking in the general public, phenomena of superstition appear, political exploitation of ignorance, and the rise of discourse that ranges from cynicism to conspiracies.

Sagan’s writing from the 1990s in “A World Haunted by Demons” (and in his earlier books) sounds remarkably contemporary. He described a process by which powerful economic and political forces can dictate an agenda that runs counter to scientific evidence, while marginalizing researchers and science education. When the public fails to recognize the deceptions and lacks critical tools, “an explosive mixture of ignorance and power” is created—and historically, such mixtures have exploded before. Sagan warned that we must guard the “candle in the dark” of science with all our might: not because science is “perfect” or “infallible,” but because it is a proven mechanism for correcting errors and advancing knowledge. If we abandon it—as he wrote—we risk entering an era of superstition, mass deception, and a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of those who want to abuse it.

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• Gullible will believe anything
• Carl Sagan - fear of the rise of pseudoscience.
• Conceive and be free - Carl Sagan on Einstein
• Carl Sagan died at the age of 62 after a two-year battle with cancer
• There is no room for environmental justice in Trump's dictatorship.