Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
We are the product of 4.5 billion years of fortuitous, slow biological evolution. There is no reason to think that the evolutionary process has stopped. Man is a transitional animal. He is not the climax of creation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humanity is a result of a long evolutionary process and continues to evolve.
In this quote, Carl Sagan emphasizes the continuous nature of evolution and challenges the notion that humans represent the peak of biological development. He urges us to recognize our place as part of an ongoing evolutionary journey, rather than as a final destination in the grand narrative of life.
Themes
EvolutionHumanityBiologyTransitionalCreation
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about human evolution.
More from Carl Sagan
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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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