Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
When you have millions of uneducated superstitious dolts swallowing the propaganda, it does not bode well for the survival of our society. They will vote themselves into oblivion... all the while wearing a Palinesque smirk of moral superiority. And the Puppet Masters will enjoy an expensive cigar... or two.
No, Gryphen, Carl Sagan did not see the writing on the wall. He saw a particular vision from his perspective in 1996. And I think it is important to note that the entire title of the book is "The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark". A highly gifted astronomer and thinker, he fell prey to the temptation of making a prediction. And when it comes to the future, that is risky business, because the future is a slippery thing.
Niels Bohr, the great physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the atomic structure of our world, and was instrumental in the mass rescue of thousands of Jews from Denmark when the Nazis invaded, famously said, "Prediction is very difficult, especially when it's about the future."
We already are changing the future that Sagan so "unwisely" predicts -- and will continue to do so, as this country re-elects a leader who is pointing the way to creating a new manufacturing economy, based on advancing technologies in energy, medicine, transportation and more.
Your daughter and mine will help create this future, and we can only watch and marvel at their resilience and intelligence. Our future is so much bigger than that of the Palins and their followers.
Or, as Yogi Berra said: The future ain't what it used to be!"
What a wonderful description of hope! I will work to make it true for my kids and grandkids also. Education - good, solid education that focuses on critical thinking skills, based on math, science, and writing skills - is the key to keeping a world that moves forward for all.
Carl alludes to something else that has concerned me for a decade or so. To deal with today's world in its complexity requires an above average intelligence. I came to that conclusion about a decade ago. I've seen a couple of articles saying the same. I think a lot of what we see in the rise of the right wing religions is partly because they provide a way of coping with the complexity of the world. The Sheeple need a leader. Education and intelligence is suspect because they are the competing ways of coping. It also speaks to our political leadership. I'd guess many are no better off than the Sheeple. At a time when we need our brightest and best educated tackling the problems of our age, we are led by GW Bush, or the best Congress corporate money can buy. Carl isn't very hopeful. Maybe his is the voice of reality.
Except it's not people clutching crystals and consulting horoscopes who are representative of a population whose critical faculties is in decline, now is it?
I'll answer my own question: Not hardly.
Not when there are so many, many more people armed with bibles and Qur'ans and guns and bombs.
He does have a point, I didn't read it as dealing in an absolute prediction, the crystal can be exchanged for any ideology, religion, or superstition and it would still make sense. I never read this, but remember being blown away by "the cosmos" series on Discovery Channel and reading "The Varieties of Scientific Experience", while I found a few ideas to be out in left field, I admired his entusiasm and how his mind worked.
Yeah: Wow. Carl saw it coming and we'll hit the wall. But what scares me is that he's talking about 'an America in my children's or grandchildren's time' and the rest of his speech is why it's going to happen. Not so much about the rest of the world, they'll just watch in awe.
When you have millions of uneducated superstitious dolts swallowing the propaganda, it does not bode well for the survival of our society. They will vote themselves into oblivion... all the while wearing a Palinesque smirk of moral superiority. And the Puppet Masters will enjoy an expensive cigar... or two.
ReplyDeleteNo, Gryphen, Carl Sagan did not see the writing on the wall. He saw a particular vision from his perspective in 1996. And I think it is important to note that the entire title of the book is "The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark". A highly gifted astronomer and thinker, he fell prey to the temptation of making a prediction. And when it comes to the future, that is risky business, because the future is a slippery thing.
ReplyDeleteNiels Bohr, the great physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the atomic structure of our world, and was instrumental in the mass rescue of thousands of Jews from Denmark when the Nazis invaded, famously said, "Prediction is very difficult, especially when it's about the future."
We already are changing the future that Sagan so "unwisely" predicts -- and will continue to do so, as this country re-elects a leader who is pointing the way to creating a new manufacturing economy, based on advancing technologies in energy, medicine, transportation and more.
Your daughter and mine will help create this future, and we can only watch and marvel at their resilience and intelligence. Our future is so much bigger than that of the Palins and their followers.
Or, as Yogi Berra said: The future ain't what it used to be!"
What a wonderful description of hope! I will work to make it true for my kids and grandkids also. Education - good, solid education that focuses on critical thinking skills, based on math, science, and writing skills - is the key to keeping a world that moves forward for all.
DeleteCarl alludes to something else that has concerned me for a decade or so. To deal with today's world in its complexity requires an above average intelligence. I came to that conclusion about a decade ago. I've seen a couple of articles saying the same. I think a lot of what we see in the rise of the right wing religions is partly because they provide a way of coping with the complexity of the world. The Sheeple need a leader. Education and intelligence is suspect because they are the competing ways of coping.
ReplyDeleteIt also speaks to our political leadership. I'd guess many are no better off than the Sheeple. At a time when we need our brightest and best educated tackling the problems of our age, we are led by GW Bush, or the best Congress corporate money can buy. Carl isn't very hopeful. Maybe his is the voice of reality.
Love that book even more than Cosmos! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteExcept it's not people clutching crystals and consulting horoscopes who are representative of a population whose critical faculties is in decline, now is it?
ReplyDeleteI'll answer my own question: Not hardly.
Not when there are so many, many more people armed with bibles and Qur'ans and guns and bombs.
And Sagan picks on New Agers? GMAFB.
He does have a point, I didn't read it as dealing in an absolute prediction, the crystal can be exchanged for any ideology, religion, or superstition and it would still make sense. I never read this, but remember being blown away by "the cosmos" series on Discovery Channel and reading "The Varieties of Scientific Experience", while I found a few ideas to be out in left field, I admired his entusiasm and how his mind worked.
ReplyDeleteAnother book for my reading list.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteYeah: Wow. Carl saw it coming and we'll hit the wall. But what scares me is that he's talking about 'an America in my children's or grandchildren's time' and the rest of his speech is why it's going to happen. Not so much about the rest of the world, they'll just watch in awe.
ReplyDelete