Carl Sagan - Pythagoras and Plato

[cirqueducarre]

If the book convinced you, Faro0485, of that - I guess I should personally apologize to the undergrads that I have taught the Republic to. Do you think the president of the university will give them their tuition back if he reads the chapter on Kabbalah? Or does he have to read the bigger story about the Illuminati also?

[cirqueducarre]

This video paints an amazingly superficial, and totally distorted picture of Plato.

[faro0485]

@cirqueducarre Plato hated women. He wanted them to be men. And he wanted to take babies away from parents. Refer to the book Terrorism and the Illuminati: A Three Thousand Year History by David Livingstone, refer to the chapter on Kabbalah

[Nonamearisto]

Plato and Aristotle were the seminal thinkers of political thought. We would have no democracy if not for them. 

[Nonamearisto]

This video lies. Plato opened up a school, the Academy, and taught all who came, so long as they knew mathematics. Plato didn't sequester knowledge away in a cave. Sagan is simply offended at the idea of perfection itself, because he lacks the imagination to see it.

[Thoukididisify]

As much as I adore Sagan I find his account of Plato's affect on the sciences a little misleading. The mystics won? What about Aristotle? He was *taught* by Plato and is one of the fathers of science.

[daveinlv1]

@Thoukididisify Sagan stated that Plato and Pythagoras hated experimentation. That the world can be derived from thought alone and people followed. No experimentation was done till Kepler, 20 centuries later; hence they won. Aristotle may have done a lot for science but most don't consider him a "father" of science. Most believe Kepler started scientific thinking and experimentation. Without Kepler we would all still be lost.

[Thoukididisify]

@daveinlv1 "No experimentation was done till Kepler, 20 centuries later"

This is completely false.

"Aristotle may have done a lot for science but most don't consider him a "father" of science"

Fine. But some do. I mean, his work in biology was so influential it wasn't superseded for two millennia. He basically invented the discipline. This little narrative that Plato stopped people from experimenting until Kepler came along is incredibly stupid and demonstrably false.

[Nonamearisto]

@daveinlv1 There were experiments done by Greeks in Alexandria, many decades after Plato and Aristotle were dead.

[LASALLIONSTALLION]

@600Kilowatts Christianity is the best and most terrifying thing that ever happen to this planet. China has the fastest growing Christian population in the world. 1/3 of china will be Christian within the next 30 years. I don't know what will happen in the future but I can guarantee the most colossal epic showdown ever to be witnessed in the universe will take place. Pick a side.

[LASALLIONSTALLION]

FUCK CARL SARGAN!!!

PLATO AND JESUS ALL THE WAYS BITCHES!!!

[Nonamearisto]

@LASALLIONSTALLION Agreed. Plato was not a scientist, but he didn't hate the physical world in the way Sagan describes it.

[captainampersand]

Wait, what does the dodecahedron have to do with the square root of 2?

[PixelPlox]

Why doesn't humanity elect great thinkers like Carl Sagan to the highest positions of authority, instead of corrupt closed minded fools. We're squandering our great potential as a species.

[byteresistor]

@PixelPlox Stupid people elect stupid representives. The "corrupt close minded fools" in power maybe just that but they're not all dummies since they know they can manipulate the stupid masses.

[falconpunch10]

@PixelPlox not all humans are able to process the mental capacity to see the merit of an intelegent human being, they still see scientists as "evil" like some kind of graphic novel (I avoid the term comic book)

[Samuelthemule]

@PixelPlox see platos "sophists" that's why.

[rfengr]

the "Super Obama Girl" video has almost 30 Million views. This video has only 874 views. This is scary ... 

[torontoBluejays87]

@rfengr I feel terrible knowing that humanity is probably going to destroy the dream Sagan had. We have such potential, such unbelievable ability to exist for billions of years in the cosmos...but we cannot seem to get over ourselves and our tiresome superstitions. Carl Sagan has touched me in such a profound and sincere way.

[tarvensays]

the books of Pythagorus are also lost... and just like all messiahs of old the 'churches' that are built up around their teachings pale in comparison to their original message meaning and positive messages. I love Sagan and understand what he is saying but i think its wrong to consider Pythagorus in the negative light due to his followers that came after.

[texpeare]

What episode of "Cosmos" is this clip originally from?

[shazzatpm]

@texpeare Episode 7 - The Backbone of Night.