Happy Birthday Carl Sagan

I miss you Carl...

Pale Blue Dot

 

 

Where did the Big Bang come from?  Does it make sense to believe it was a God?

We are made of star stuff. 

Upcoming Video Description: "Carl Sagan's description of how we evolved from "Star Stuff" and are on our journey to go back to our origin - in the Stars. From "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" episode 8, "Journeys in Space and Time".  Please support this amazing masterpiece by buying the DVDs - you will not regret it. 

 

Upcoming Video Description: "Those worlds in space are as countless as all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the Earth. Each of those worlds is as real as ours. In every one of them, there's a sucsession of incidence, events, occurences which influence its future. Countless worlds, numberless moments, an immensity of space and time. And our small planet, at this moment, here we face a critical branch-point in the history. What we do with our world, right now, will propagate down through the centuries and powerfully affect the destiny of our descendants. It is well within our power to destroy our civilization, and perhaps our species as well. If we capitulate to superstition, or greed, or stupidty we can plunge our world into a darkness deeper than time between the collapse of classical civilization and the Italian Renaissaince. But, we are also capable of using our compassion and our intelligence, our technology and our wealth, to make an abundant and meaningful life for every inhabitant of this planet. To enhance enormously our understanding of the Universe, and to carry us to the stars." Carl Sagan explains the immensity of space and time. This clip is from Carl Sagan's Cosmos episode 8, "Journeys in Space and Time." 

 

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Vastet's picture

Enthusiastically seconded.

Enthusiastically seconded.

Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.

BobSpence's picture

Thirded.I first saw him on

Thirded.

I first saw him on TV when he came out to Australia sometime back in the '60s (I think) and participated in a public lecture series called the 'Summer School of Science", that was broadcast in glorious black-and-white.

Another participant was Frank Drake (of the Drake equation).

I was quite impressed with him even then.

 

Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality

"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris

The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me

From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology

BobSpence's picture

BobSpence1 wrote:A crying shame;

Watching "The pale Blue Dot" , and just really thinking back on the books and films I have read and seen, I can very easily get choked up and reduced to tears. He could have still been with us, only 75.

Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality

"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris

The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me

From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology

iwbiek's picture

i've posted this before but

i've posted this before but i just can't resist.

you will be missed, carl, and your words will remain with us no matter how much the crazies try to change them.

 

"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson

Happy Carl Sagan day

Happy Carl Sagan day everyone!

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