Forgotten Corner of the Universe - Carl Sagan

The ghost of Carl Sagan writes a prescription for significance.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Carl
• Sagan
• science
• God
• and
• Cosmology
• Newsweek
• insignificant

[SaganAppreciationSoc]

First Mr. Gilbreath, Carl never said "Billions and billions". I challenge you to cite episode # in Cosmos where that is said. In fact he tired of the claim that he ever used such an inspecific number. A decade and a half later, as a kind of joke, he titled a book with that phrase.

Your prattling is pretty much all downhill from there. Sagan's comments are so over your head, that you don't even understand your true position in the universe. Talk about meaninglessness.

[samten54]

A real quality Carl Sagan had was he was both a scientist and a poet. Carl Sagan chose a way to describe our world so we would view things in a different light. If you don't understand what or why Sagan described our place in the universe the way he did it is probably because you have a vested or personal interest in maintaining a religious state of ignorance. If young people want meaning in their lives they should take an interest in the real world as Sagan encouraged and vote.

[timduncankobebryant]

bullshit people like you make this world insignificant

[Thorok16]

I like how this guy picks on a dead man who can't defend himself.

I'm an engineering major, and i don't know a single professor who feels that our existence is pointless. Quite the contrary, the fact that we can even assert the value of meaning gives us meaning. And after reading/watching Carl Sagan, i don't for a second doubt he felt the same way. He even stated our moral obligation to not destroy ourselves, and to take care of the earth!

This man is just making assumptions and going with it.

[SaganAppreciationSoc]

Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?

[JGris101]

The personal insults on Gilbreath and numerous presumptions made by commentators on his opinions got me to go back and take his video seriously. That benefited me greatly. An Astronomy major because the cosmos is awesome, my love of it allowed me to blindly accept most anything the "great minds" said. But questioning presumptions and demanding tangible meaning to assertions is good science and good philosophy. Why bash Gilbreath? He is only following the dogma of good science and philosophy.

[toomanytribbles]

this need for some of us to create and perpetuate dilemmas where there are none in an attempt to force others to contemplate an fabricated supernatural being IS sad. it won't work. we yearn to make new discoveries about the universe and about ourselves -- and are very tired of people who simply make stuff up. thankfully sagan and many who understand and build upon his work have freed us from the misery of this little god.

[Abdera18]

Wrong. Dr. Sagan described our profound obligation to preserve the life we are given, as well as the life around us. Removing god from the equation does not give us a hollow existence, it gives us an unencumbered chance to explore beyond the depths of religion. It allows us to ask the real questions. Not, how did god create us? but what unknown force of nature created the universe?

[wadingdeep]

Synthy303, thanks for stating my own thoughts so well. Mr. Gilbreath's comments are definitely worth objective consideration. For days now, I've wanted to respond to some of the negative comments, but didn't want to further offend those who posted so vehemently in Mr. Sagan's defense. Your post captured what I felt Mr. Gilbreath intended, but words escaped me every time I sat down to write. Thanks, again.

[synthy303]

The message of this video is not a sad one. It is a message that states simply, "As a planet, as a race, and as a cosmos, we matter." This is not an attack on Mr. Sagan. This merely begs the question that if what Mr. Sagan says is true that, "We make our world significant by ... the depth of our answers.", then in relation to what or whom are our answers deep? If there is no God, we are significant only by virtue of calling ourselves such, and that is not a message of hope. It is hollow.

[toomanytribbles]

what a sad video -- but i am encouraged by the up-to-now comments.

carl sagan said, 'people are not dumb'

[blumpsicle]

Abdera? Democritus of Abdera?