Carl Sagan (1934–1996) was a renowned American cosmologist, astronomer, planetary scientist, and author. He was a prominent figure in the scientific skepticism movement and a vocal critic of paranormal claims, including those made by [[Uri Geller]][^1]. Sagan, along with [[Martin Gardner]], [[Ray Hyman]], [[Paul Kurtz]], and [[James Randi]], co-founded the [[Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal]] (CSICOP). This organization aimed to promote scientific inquiry and combat pseudoscience, which they believed included the sudden explosion of interest in paranormal phenomena[^1]. Sagan expressed concern about the public's acceptance of Geller, writing, "The more serious-minded among us are starting to ask, what is going on? Why the sudden explosion of interest, even among some otherwise sensible people, in all sorts of paranormal ‘happenings’? Are we in retreat from the scientific ideas of rationality, dispassionate examination of evidence and sober experimentation that have made modern civilization what it is?"[^1]. He argued that belief in occultism could provide a climate for the rise of a demagogue, drawing parallels to Nazi Germany before the rise of Adolf Hitler[^1]. ### Footnotes [^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.