Comments on: Brian Cox talks about Carl Sagan

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:26:57 +0000

What I don’t understand here is the culture of skepticism as a movement. Clear, objective thinking does not obligate one to being skeptical, any more than it obligates one to ascribe to dogmas.

Skepticism is not a value, clear thinking is. Conclusions should flow from logical deduction, based on sound premises.

It is also important to have the humility to understand what one doesn’t know, and to understand that even scientists can have their dogmas.

By: Lugosi

Lugosi — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:18:33 +0000

Personally, I prefer "Cosmos for Rednecks."

By: fred edison

fred edison — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:21:01 +0000

The great Carl Sagan was both a scientist and a teacher of the wonders and mysteries of our world and universe. He helped spark the interests of untold numbers of young people into careers in science. He made science fascinating to the public. He made science easy to appreciate and find value in. That’s the real uniqueness of someone like Sagan. His passion for science and what it has done to improve our lives and increase our knowledge about our world and universe, lives on today in all of those young people who have grown older and are now sharing their own passion and knowledge. They are offering their deep appreciation for science to others as a reasoned, guiding light in the dark room of ignorance and fear, just as Carl did. He dedicated his novel ‘Contact’ to his daughter in 1985. The dedication read, “For Alexandra, who comes of age with the Millennium. May we leave your generation a world better than the one we were given.” We are better for having had him with us in the too short time he was here. Carl, I miss your insight and wisdom.

By: Michael T

Michael T — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:36:35 +0000

Great post and great comments. I just finished watching episode III of Cosmos with my kids.

By: Jewel

Jewel — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:30:45 +0000

Skeptikor: “I have his quote from Pale Blue Dot on my office wall, along with that famous picture of the earth as a tiny pixel taken from the edge of the solar system.”

So do I. When I’m having a rough day, I look at that picture and read that quote and it kind of puts things in perspective. And when I’m not having a rough day, I look at that picture and I read that quote and smile. It’s a favorite

By: Carl Sagan - A Personal Voyage - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum

Carl Sagan - A Personal Voyage - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:35:15 +0000

[...] BA Blog entry. __________________ "A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire. "All your bias are belong to us" Ara Pacis. [...]

By: Mena

Mena — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:45:32 +0000

IVAN3MAN, I was wondering something similar during that “how to draw a circle” post. What is it about the human brain that makes some people so emotionally invested in such trivial details about other people, most of whom they don’t even know, do? A lot of the time it’s religion or what gender the partners of other people are, which is dumb but still kind of a cultural thing, but who really cares what operating system other people use, which software, etc., other than the people who make actual money from selling the stuff. The posts about Mac/Linux/MS or GIMP/Photoshop were kind of snooty, they reminded me of when you see two geezers trying to one up each other about which obscure musician they saw live. Kind of funny, but kind of sad too. Brains sure are weird, aren’t they?