Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
Where we have strong emotions, we're liable to fool ourselves.
Interpretation
Strong emotions can cloud our judgment and lead to self-deception.
Carl Sagan's quote explores the idea that intense emotions can distort our perception and judgment, making it easy for us to mislead ourselves. When we experience strong feelings, our reasoning may become compromised, leading us to rationalize our desires and beliefs in a way that might not align with reality. This highlights the importance of self-awareness and critical thinking when navigating our emotional landscape.
In practice
In a discussion about decision-making, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of being aware of emotional influences.
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.
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Meditation, witnessing, silently sitting and looking at the mind, will be of much help. Not forcing, simply sitting and looking. Not doing much, just watching as one watches birds flying in the sky. Just Lying down on the ground and watching, nothing to do, indifferent. Not your concern really, where they are going; they are going on their own.
To err is to wander, and wandering is the way we discover the world; and, lost in thought, it is also the way we discover ourselves. Being right might be gratifying, but in the end it is static, a mere statement. Being wrong is hard and humbling, and sometimes even dangerous, but in the end it is a journey, and a story.
I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.
The only thing that kept me going was stories. Stories are hope. They take you out of yourself for a bit, and when you get dropped back in, you're different- you're stronger, you've seen more, you've felt more. Stories are like spiritual currency.
Lord sanctify us. Oh! That Thy spirit might come and saturate every faculty, subdue every passion, and use every power of our nature for obedience to God.
We are Physical, Mental and Spiritual beings. If you don't deal with ALL OF LIFE you're not going to get all that life has to offer.
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