Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little bit about it.
Interpretation
Understanding the science behind nature enhances our appreciation of its beauty.
Carl Sagan suggests that gaining knowledge about natural phenomena, such as sunsets, does not diminish their beauty or romantic appeal. Rather, it enhances our appreciation and understanding, allowing us to experience the world with a deeper sense of wonder and connection to the universe.
In practice
In a speech about the beauty of nature, one could quote Sagan to emphasize how knowledge enhances our appreciation.
Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
In more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
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.
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.
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Not without a shudder may the human hand reach into the mysterious urn of destiny.
Shh! Listen! Someoneβs coming! I think β I think it might be us!
Oh, I don't think religion has failed. It's man who has failed. Christ hasn't failed. The Gospel hasn't failed. The teachings of God have not failed.
RELIGION: A set of beliefs held as dogmas, dominating the conduct of life, going beyond or contrary to evidence, and inculcated by methods which are emotional or authoritarian, not intellectual.
No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue.
The waters are in motion, but the moon retains its serenity.
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