Sagan, Carl (1934 – 1996), US astronomer & populariser of astronomy
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
If God wanted to send us a message and ancient writing were the only way he could think of doing it, he could have done a better job.
In science it often happens that scientists say, ‘You know that’s a really good argument; my position is mistaken,’ and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn’t happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.
A celibate clergy is an especially good idea; because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity towards fanaticism.
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.
Where we have strong emotions, we’re liable to fool ourselves.
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.
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.
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?
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.
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.
When you make the finding yourself – even if you’re the last person on Earth to see the light – you’ll never forget it.
I maintain there is much more wonder in science than in pseudoscience. And in addition, to whatever measure this term has any meaning, science has the additional virtue, and it is not an inconsiderable one, of being true.
In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness.
Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.
