Carl Sagan’s Warning: The Death of Expertise in 2025

"When the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority… when clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide almost without noticing back into superstition and darkness." – Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World (Sagan, 1996)??

Carl Sagan warned us about this moment. He foresaw a future where scientific literacy would collapse, expertise would be dismissed as elitism, and power would rest in the hands of those who stoke fear and mistrust rather than seek understanding. That future is no longer a warning; it is here.??

I know this not just as an abstract idea but through lived experience. I spent nearly two years working at USAID alongside some of the world's most brilliant experts - I see you TPQ! I saw firsthand how expertise—the kind born of decades of deep study and field experience—could save lives. I also saw how fragile that expertise is when political whims and public mistrust take over.??

But it is not just professional; it is personal.??

A Personal Betrayal: Kennedy and the Myth of Blame??

When Robert Kennedy Jr. was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services today—a man whose career is built on vaccine denialism—I felt both fury and grief.

As the parent of an autistic child, I have lived through the harmful rhetoric that Kennedy has spread for decades—the myth that vaccines cause autism. That myth, long debunked by scientists and doctors, refuses to die. It has become a whisper in parenting groups, a "what if" on social media, and now, under Kennedy’s leadership, it is national policy.

The idea that my daughter’s autism could have been “caused” by something we did or did not do is not just scientifically false—it is cruel. It feeds into a culture of blame, implying that we failed her in some way or, worse, that we could have prevented it.

Let me be clear: I would not have done anything differently. My daughter is amazing, just as she is. Her neurodiversity is part of who she is—an incredible, funny, insightful kid who approaches the world in her own unique way. Yes, life is more challenging sometimes, but I would not change a thing about her.

Plus, science.

Kennedy’s denialism does more than insult families like mine—it actively endangers public health. Diseases once thought eradicated—measles, polio, whooping cough—are making a comeback, fueled by growing vaccine hesitancy. With Kennedy in charge, vaccine skepticism is no longer fringe; it is embedded in the very institutions meant to protect us.

The Fall of Chevron: Expertise Replaced by Ideology

The Chevron doctrine, established in Chevron U.S.A. v. NRDC (1984), was once a cornerstone of modern governance. For nearly 40 years, it provided stability and clarity, allowing courts to defer to federal agencies’ interpretations of laws on technical matters within their expertise. It was a recognition that judges and politicians could not be experts in everything, especially in fields like environmental science, global health, and disaster resilience.

However, in June 2024, the Supreme Court overturned Chevron in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. Overnight, the framework that had governed deference to agency expertise for four decades was gone. What had been a stable structure for policy implementation disintegrated almost immediately, leaving agency decisions open to legal challenges on every front.

Suddenly, courts—not scientists, engineers, or technical experts—became the arbiters of highly specialized disputes. Legal arguments replaced scientific evidence, and judges without relevant expertise ruled on climate adaptation standards, vaccine mandates, and disaster response protocols.

The power did not shift to new experts. It moved to political operatives and judges with little knowledge but immense ideological agendas. Entire regulatory frameworks were thrown into chaos.

The irony was almost too much to bear. Many Supreme Court justices claim allegiance to originalism—interpreting the Constitution according to its "original" meaning—are often profoundly uninformed about history. Few have formal training in historiography, yet they wield that distorted history as absolute truth.

My Time at USAID: Watching Expertise Burn

"We have arranged a civilization in which the most crucial elements—transportation, communications, agriculture, medicine, and education—depend profoundly on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands them." – Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World.

At USAID, I worked with some of the world’s leading experts. These people had spent decades studying the physics of mudslides, the nutritional value of breast milk, and the patterns of droughts and floods in fragile ecosystems.

To an outsider, these fields might seem niche—until disaster strikes. The physics of mudslides is not theoretical when your town is buried in mud. The nutritional value of breast milk is not academic when your child is starving. These experts understood those stakes. They designed programs that saved lives—not in abstract terms, but in ways you could measure: reduced mortality rates, malnutrition interventions, and communities rebuilt after disasters.

And then—almost overnight—that expertise was dismantled. By Day 22 of the Trump administration, it was clear something unprecedented was happening.

Budgets were frozen. Entire departments were shuttered. Experts—some of the world’s most respected authorities—were escorted out under a cloud of investigation.

In less than a month, decades—cumulatively centuries—of experience and institutional knowledge were gone. Careers dedicated to climate adaptation, food security, and disaster resilience ended without warning or a transition plan. The depth of what was lost can never be fully measured because there was no time to capture it.

And then… nothing.

There were no audits, replacement political appointees, hearings, or explanations. Entire offices were dark and empty. Programs were abandoned midstream and left to wither without a final report.

What had been a careful, deliberate erosion of expertise turned into an immediate and catastrophic collapse—a total abandonment. For those who had given years of their lives to this work, it was like watching a library burn—each lost office, each shuttered program, a chapter of knowledge gone forever, leaving nothing behind but questions and silence.

A Closing Reflection: The Candle and the Crossroads??

"The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir." – Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World (Sagan, 1996)??

In 2025, America stands on the brink, its fragile democracy trembling under populism, political expediency, and a growing rejection of expertise. The Republican Party now controls all three branches of government, ushered into power on a wave of anti-elite rhetoric, and promises to "take back" institutions from so-called bureaucrats and technocrats.??

Nevertheless, "taking back" is not about giving power to the people. It is about consolidating power in the hands of the few while dismantling the very structures that protect democracy.??

The 2026 midterm elections will be more than a policy referendum—they will test whether American democracy can endure. Recent years have already seen the erosion of independent oversight, the assault on voting rights, and courts expanding executive power at the expense of Congress and the public.??

State legislatures are preparing for a new wave of voter suppression laws and partisan redistricting, creating a system where elections are increasingly skewed by geography and rules that favor those already in power. At the national level, policies built on misinformation and ideology rather than evidence have undermined trust in public institutions.??

If this trend continues, the consequences will be far-reaching and irreversible. America risks becoming a democracy in name only—a place where elections still happen, but the outcomes are preordained by structural manipulation and institutional decay.??

"Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and democracy, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense." – Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World (Sagan, 1996)??

There is still time to change course, but it will require more than hope—it will require active resistance to the forces of ignorance and cynicism.??

If there is a future for American democracy, it will be built on three key commitments:??

1. Restoring Expertise and Evidence-Based Decision-Making: The government must once again become a place where facts and knowledge matter and technical experts are valued and empowered to guide policy.??
2. Protecting the Integrity of Elections: Ensuring free and fair elections, safeguarding voting rights, and resisting the creeping normalization of political interference in democratic processes are not just policy choices but moral imperatives.??
3. Reviving Public Trust in Institutions: The media, educators, scientists, and public officials must work together to rebuild trust and encourage a new generation to think critically and engage meaningfully with the world.??

The stakes have never been higher. The 2026 elections could mark the beginning of a long road back to democratic resilience—or they could cement our current trajectory toward something far darker.??

A Flickering Light??

Carl Sagan often reminded us that science, like democracy, is a fragile experiment that requires constant nurturing. Both depend on the ability to ask questions, challenge authority, and seek the truth, even when inconvenient or uncomfortable.??

In his words, the candle still flickers.??

However, it will not stay lit on its own.??

It is up to all of us—citizens, scientists, educators, public servants—to keep that light burning, to resist the temptation of despair, and to fight for a future where facts, reason, and democracy can thrive again.??

America is at a crossroads. The question now is whether we have the courage and will to choose the more arduous path that leads back toward light, knowledge, and truth.??

The demons are stirring. The flame is small, but it is not yet out. If we act, it can burn brighter than ever before.??