Ann Druyan Talks About Science, Religion, Wonder,
Awe . . . and Carl Sagan
"Congress cut off federal funding for SETI years ago. I was with Carl when he went into Senator William Proxmire office after Proxmire had given the Golden Fleece Award to the SETI program. Carl sat down with him. I didn't say a word. I was just a witness. And I just watched Carl. I was inspired by him, by not only the breadth of his knowledge, but his patience, his lack of arrogance, his willingness to hear the other person out. Senator Proxmire did a complete turnabout as a result of that meeting.
And there were other instances of Carl’s remarkable persuasiveness. One was a great story of a so-called “creation scientist” who watched Carl testify at a hearing about creationism in schools. Carl testified for about four hours. It was somewhere in the South, I can't remember where. And six months later a letter came from the “creation scientist” expert who had also testified that day, saying that he had given up his daytime job and realized the error of what he was doing. It was only because Carl was so patient and so willing to hear the other person out. He did it with such kindness and then, very gently but without compromising, laid out all of the things that were wrong with what this guy thought was true. That is a lesson that I wish that all of us in our effort to promote skepticism could learn, because I know that very often the anger I feel when confronting this kind of thinking makes me want to start cutting off the other person. But to do so is to abandon all hope of changing minds.”
Full article:
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/ann_druyan_talks_about_science_religion/
Have you read any of his books or papers?
ReplyDeleteYeah..."Pale Blue Dot", "Cosmos", "The Demon Haunted World", "The Dragons of Eden" and "Contact"
ReplyDeleteI confess I haven't read those, but perhaps should. Might give me ideas or inspiration. I did like the film Contact though
ReplyDeleteSam Collett where is the poem? =)
ReplyDeletethere is radiaton of different wavelength constantly coming on and through the atmosphere - the most common are photons and UV radiation - but they not visible - radiation
ReplyDeleteI read and watched Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" when I was growing up. I found it powerful and moving and it drew me into the world of astronomy and cosmology. But more than anything, it inspired me to "think big". Whether you read the book or watch the film, "Contact" is a wonderful story, really makes you think about what you "know" and what you "believe." Awe-and-then-some!
ReplyDeletenicely done. We miss Carl.
ReplyDeleteExtraordinary Carl Sagan, I loved very much cosmos series and his books: Cosmos, The Comet, Shadows of forgotten ancestors, Broca Brain, Pale blue dot, Murmurs of Earth.....
ReplyDelete