Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
Perhaps, in retrospect, there would be little motivation even for malevolent extraterrestrials to attack the Earth; perhaps, after a preliminary survey, they might decide it is more expedient just to be patient for a little while and wait for us to self-destruct.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that extraterrestrials may find it unnecessary to invade Earth, as humanity's self-destructive tendencies might ultimately lead to its own downfall.
Carl Sagan's quote reflects on humanity's capacity for self-destruction and posits that, from an external perspective, it may be more logical for advanced extraterrestrial beings to observe rather than engage. It implies that our own actions might lead to our ruin, making intervention unnecessary, as we may achieve our end without outside help.
Themes
ExtraterrestrialsSelf-DestructionHumanityPhilosophyObservation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a panel discussion about humanity's impact on the planet.
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.
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
Similar quotes
Man... cannot learn to forget, but hangs on the past: however far or fast he runs, that chain runs with him.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
The sneakiest form of literary subtlety, in a corrupt society, is to speak the plain truth. The critics will not understand you; the public will not believe you; your fellow writers will shake their heads. Laughter, praise, honors, money, and the love of beautiful girls will be your only reward.
Edward AbbeyRead
It is not given to human beings, happily for them, for otherwise life would be intolerable, to foresee or to predict to any large extent the unfolding course of events.
Winston ChurchillRead
So much of what blacks and women contend with is centered in how we view, and how the world views, our bodies. Gestures, voices, affect.
Margo JeffersonRead
Sometimes negative news does come out, but it is often exaggerated and manipulated to spread scandal. Journalists sometimes risk becoming ill from coprophilia and thus fomenting coprophagia: which is a sin that taints all men and women, that is, the tendency to focus on the negative rather than the positive aspects.
Pope FrancisRead
I’m losing my taste for everything, including even my taste for finding everything tasteless.
Fernando PessoaRead