Thursday, May 17, 2012
"If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?...It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
Respond to the quote above. What is Sagan trying to say? How does this fit in with your view of the universe and/or our position in the universe?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I believe that Sagan is saying that we should take the universe and the things in it for what it truly is and not follow a lie that makes us believe we are the center of attention. He is saying that science has shown us the truth and that we all need to have the ability to accept the truth for only then we will be able to find our true standing in the galaxy. In my opinion I believe that we as the human race are very small fish in an ocean that is much larger than us. I've never had the belief that the universe moves for our liking I've always thought that we merely set our clocks and based our lives off the changes that occur in the universe, because I see no place where we have control over the anomalies and abnormalities that occur in space we have no control over anything except our planet. That is why things like meteors are collected and studied so we can gain a better understanding a better insight on the universe, that is why space is call things like "The Great Unknown" or "The Final Frontier" because we don't completely understand it and the only things that revolve around someone or something are things that that person or thing understand fully. In short the reality of something may not be the preferable thing to believe, but the necessary thing the universe does not revolve around human life but instead we revolve around it in the end it is better to understand and believe that than to make a lie your reality if that's the case then you are truly lost in your own self narcissism.
ReplyDeleteThe human race is merely afraid of what they cannot easily manipulate. Perhaps, the people we have come to know as great scientists in history were only the ones that decided to take it upon themselves to create solutions to problems no one else thought of. Mankind would obviously much rather bask in the glory of its own narcissism than face the fact that they very well may be the lesser species. On the other hand, I believe that there is truth behind the idea of humans attempting to revolve the world around them instead of letting themselves revolve around the world which may be the result of us halting things in the midst of their natural course because we, as human-beings, are frightened by the thought of what would occur if we did not always have the upper hand. Humankind being fearful of what they do not know pushes them to desperately search for the solutions to unanswered questions. The only trouble is, once the question is answered, everyone then shows skepticism. Skepticism is like an airborne poison. One must believe indubitably or a skeptic can easily change their minds. When no one is sure of the solution, fear of the unknown is brought into the atmosphere, once more. Humans are an emotional species and they are only able to grasp understanding on what they can see or test; if something is simultaneously unknown and indecipherable, then it is feared.
DeletePersonally, I believe he is saying that the human race is very self-absorbed. We care only about ourselves, and most of the time we don't even care about other human beings. We manipulate what little we know about this vast universe we live in and say that it's centered around us.
ReplyDeleteScientists say that there is no other intelligent life out there. Well why not? Are we just afraid of what we don't know? Do we truly care about other forms of life? Or do the people just want to believe there is no threat to us?