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| Carl Sagan
A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.All of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast as video in a single large american city in a single year. Not all bits have equal value. But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. Except for children (who don't know enough not to ask the important questions), few of us spend time wondering why nature is the way it is. Handguns are available for self protection in Seattle, but not in nearby Vancouver, Canada; handgun killings are five times more common and the handgun suicide rate is ten times greater in Seattle. Guns make impulsive killing easy. Heroes who try to explain the world in terms of matter and energy may have arisen many times in many cultures, only to be obliterated by the priests and philosophers in charge of the conventional wisdom. I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students. If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits? If you want to know when the next eclipse of the Sun will be, you might try magicians or mystics, but you'll do much better with scientists. If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English – up to fifty words used in correct context – no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese. It took the Church until 1832 to remove Galileo's work from its list of books which Catholics were forbidden to read at the risk of dire punishment of their immoral souls. Personally, I would be delighted if there were a life after death, especially if it permitted me to continue to learn about this world and others, if it gave me a chance to discover how history turns out. Real patriots ask questions. Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous. The method of science, as stodgy and grumpy as it may seem, is far more important than the findings of science. When you make the finding yourself – even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light – you'll never forget it. Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people. |
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