Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
Except for fools and madmen, everyone knows that nuclear war would he an unprecedented human catastrophe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nuclear war poses an unimaginable disaster for humanity, understood by all but those deemed irrational.
In this quote, Carl Sagan emphasizes the universally acknowledged dangers of nuclear warfare, arguing that rational thinking and understanding of human history reveal the catastrophic consequences that would ensue from such a conflict. He suggests that only those lacking sound judgment — fools and madmen — would fail to grasp the extreme impact of a nuclear war on humanity.
Themes
Nuclear WarCatastropheHumanityRationalitySagan
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a discussion on the implications of nuclear weapons in international relations.
More from Carl Sagan
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How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
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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.
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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.
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The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
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