'What a magical thing that is': Carl Sagan's wise words on reading books are the fresh breeze we need amid digital brain rot

Economic Times

09-06-2025

A resurfaced 1977 Carl Sagan clip warns against intellectual decline, a vital message today as "brain rot" proliferates. Sagan championed reading as a magical connection to past minds and stressed nurturing childhood curiosity. (Images: X/@carlsagandotcom
, iStock)
A resurfaced video of legendary astronomer Carl Sagan from a 1977 appearance on The Tonight Show is sparking crucial conversations, offering profound insights amidst widespread concerns about dwindling attention spans and the pervasive "brain rot" of the digital era. As screens dominate and algorithms dictate our daily lives, Sagan's wise words on the sheer power of reading books and nurturing curious minds feel less like a relic of the past and more like an urgent plea for our intellectual survival.In the captivating 1977 clip, Sagan, a master communicator of science, articulated the almost unbelievable power held within a book. "The whole idea of what happens when you read a book I find absolutely stunning," he told Johnny Carson. He marveled at how "some product of a tree with little black squiggles on it" could open up, revealing "the voice of someone speaking who may have been dead 3,000 years, and yet there he is talking directly to you. What a magical thing that is." This timeless connection through the written word, a direct link to minds across centuries, stands in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of digital content.
Sagan didn't stop at the magic of books; he delved into the inherent curiosity of children, a vital "natural resource" he believed we are tragically wasting. He observed that children "start out eager, intellectually wide-eyed, asking extremely clever questions." Yet, he lamented, "something happens, by and large, to discourage them."He highlighted how dismissive responses to profound questions, like "Mommy, why is the grass green?", teach children "there's something bad about using the mind." Sagan warned that in perilous times, facing "complex and subtle problems" requires individuals capable of "complex and subtle solutions"—a capacity nurtured through intellectual engagement and curiosity.
Sagan's 1977 observations are eerily prescient today. The Oxford 2024 Word of the Year, "brain rot," encapsulates widespread anxiety about declining attention spans. Data from Gallup and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a steady decline in American reading habits. In a conversation on NPR, author Elaine Castillo noted that "massive corporations have essentially captured the capacities in us for reading," offering "momentary dopamine hits" that replace reading's restorative aspects. Abdullah Shihipar of Brown University added that reading a book requires a higher "mental load" than casual scrolling, and studies suggest reading physical media is "superior" to screen reading, which often encourages skimming.
The education sector sounds a loud alarm. A former English and digital arts teacher, Hannah, recently resigned with a viral video, lamenting that "a lot of kids don't know how to read," and that AI tools are eroding critical thinking. She witnessed students unable to write basic sentences, and essays produced entirely by ChatGPT, with students showing little concern over plagiarism. Hannah's drastic suggestion: "We need to cut it off. Let them learn how to think again."Abdullah Shihipar, in an NPR conversation, cited a Duke study showing a 12% decline in reading comprehension when AI tools were used. Elaine Castillo articulated a deeper fear: that we might "abdicate our own humanity and our capacity to read, to contemplate, to wrestle with difficult concepts." She emphasized reading's role in building empathy and fostering a "capacity for defiance." The statistics are stark: roughly half of American adults read below a sixth-grade level. Beyond cognitive benefits, reading boasts tangible health advantages; Shihipar mentioned a study indicating a 20% decrease in mortality for book readers, independent of wealth or age.
Carl Sagan's powerful message from decades ago offers a vital path forward. His emphasis on the magic of books and the nurturing of intellectual curiosity is not just nostalgic; it's a strategic blueprint for preserving our minds, our empathy, and our ability to navigate the complexities of our world. It's time to heed his timeless wisdom.