Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
We have heard the rationales offered by the nuclear superpowers. We know who speaks for the nations. But who speaks for the human species? Who speaks for Earth?
Interpretation
This quote questions the representation of humanity and the planet in discussions dominated by political powers.
Carl Sagan's quote emphasizes the disparity between the voices of nuclear superpowers and the broader needs of humanity and the Earth. It challenges us to consider who truly represents the interests of all people and the planet, suggesting that while nations speak for their own interests, there is a need for a collective voice that reflects the shared fate of the human species and the environment.
In practice
During an environmental conference discussing climate action.
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.
I may err but I am not a heretic, for the first has to do with the mind and the second with the will!
Josh: So, Toby, itβs election night. What do you say about a country that goes out of its way to protect even those citizens that try to destroy it? Toby: God bless America.
I had the sense when I looked back over my life I would actually see a mess of decisions, a few of which I had thought about, some of which I had sort of stumbled on and many that I had no control over whatsoever.
Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up.
Personally, when it comes to rights, I think one of two things is true. I think either we have unlimited rights, or we have no rights at all. Personally I lean towards unlimited rights, I feel for instance I have the right to do anything I please, BUT! If I do something you don't like I think you have the right to kill me.
Our identities have no bodies, so, unlike you, we cannot obtain order by physical coercion. We believe that from ethics, enlightened self-interest, and the commonweal, our governance will emerge.
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