Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
Has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science? . . . No other human institution comes close.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the unmatched reliability of scientific inquiry compared to other belief systems.
Carl Sagan highlights the unmatched accuracy and dependability of science as a method of understanding the universe. Unlike religious or mythical frameworks, science relies on evidence, experimentation, and observation, establishing a strong foundation for knowledge that no other human institution has been able to replicate.
Themes
ScienceReliabilityKnowledgeAccuracyInquiry
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on the importance of education, this quote can reinforce the value of scientific literacy.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes βIn more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.
Carl SaganRead
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
Carl SaganRead
The hole in the ozone layer is a kind of skywriting. At first it seemed to spell out our continuing complacency before a witch's brew of deadly perils. But perhaps it really tells of a newfound talent to work together to protect the global environment.
Carl SaganRead
There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most revered among us. So Einstein is revered not just because he made so many fundamental contributions to science, but because he found an imperfection in the fundamental contribution of Isaac Newton.
Carl SaganRead
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Carl SaganRead
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Let us not fool ourselves into thinking we went to the Moon because we are pioneers, or discoverers, or adventurers. We went to the Moon because it was the militaristically expedient thing to do.
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Why do more than 40 percent of Americans think that the Universe began after the domestication of the dog?
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