Back in 1988, Magnus Magnusson somehow managed to bring three of the 20th Century's most fascinating personalities together to discuss God, the Universe, and Everything Else.
In the hour-long program, the three talked about the Big Bang theory, the connection between science and scifi, the rise of computer science, extraterrestrial intelligence, and the puzzle that is human existence.
The remarkable program featured a spry 46 year-old Stephen Hawking who was already having to rely on his speech synthesizer — but his wit and deadpan humor was firmly established.
Carl Sagan, who appeared via satellite, passed away only eight years later, with scifi author Arthur C. Clarke dying in 2008.
Watch the video:
Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Arthur C. Clarke - God, The Universe and Everything Else (1988)
Cool - I haven't seen this. Something to watch over the weekend! ;)
ReplyDeleteThis was a fascinating video, the wisdom of Sagan was so pragmatic, I wish he was here to debate Ham instead of Bill Nye..
ReplyDeleteSagan is/was awesome =)
ReplyDeleteThe way he explain things...is absorbing.
Wisely or unwisely, I don't think Carl Sagan wanted to participate in science Vs religion debates. He occasionally defended science (for example: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=carl+sagan+religion&sm=3 ) But like Neil deGrasse Tyson who will be host the Cosmos sequel, I'm pretty sure Carl Sagan wanted to influence by teaching about science as opposed to directly challenging religion.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Sean Walker we all sense spirituality in our own way, I also am not interested on talking about religion and debate. Now when it comes to history of religion..well that's different. Sagan was indeed a professor =)
ReplyDeleteCorina Marinescu I couldn’t agree more. Especially when he collaborated with his wife (as they did on Cosmos) his words really captured my imagination. For example, in the first episode of Cosmos when he described how Eratosthenes read an account of the sun casting no shadow in a particular city on a particular day and time, and this led him to research and determine the shape and size of Earth. I believe it was the most exciting and engaging science lecture I have ever listened to.
ReplyDeleteCorina Marinescu agreed to the nth degree, we needed him for that
ReplyDeleteInteresting title, but kind of redundant, no? "God, the Universe, and Everything Else" If the Universe is everything that can be, then "Everything Else" is an empty set, and "God", provided we know what we talk about and it makes sense (a big if), then that one should also be included in the Universe.
ReplyDeleteGod is seen here in a remotely way, nothing related to the "daily basis God", laws of the Universe are debated a little, and Everything Else consists in how we see the entire picture, imagination, future...etc
ReplyDeleteThree absolutely fascinating people. The genius of Hawking is undeniable as well as his absolute refusal to give up his quest to explain the universe even against the odds. Sagan's infectious fascination that pulls you in and Clarke's love for the potential in the unknown and as of yet unexplained.
ReplyDeletehehe, when I read "Magnus Magnusson", I immediately thought of the power lifter that won the World's Strongest Man competitions in the early-mid 90s. Kind of funny imagining him bringing these 3 together...
ReplyDelete