Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on humanity's neglect and the potential for collaboration in environmental protection.
Carl Sagan comments on the ozone layer's depletion as a sign of human complacency regarding environmental issues. However, he also suggests that this alarming situation could serve as a catalyst for global cooperation and innovation in efforts to safeguard our planet, highlighting both our failures and our capacity for unity in the face of challenges.
Themes
Ozone LayerEnvironmentComplacencyCooperationGlobal Protection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about climate change at a conference.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes →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.
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How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
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
One of the reasons for its success is that science has a built-in, error-correcting machinery at its very heart. Some may consider this an overbroad characterization, but to me every time we exercise self-criticism, every time we test our ideas against the outside world, we are doing science. When we are self-indulgent and uncritical, when we confuse hopes and facts, we slide into pseudoscience and superstition.
Carl SaganRead
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