Your cart is currently empty!
Carl Sagan: The Power Of The Written Word
I’d like to share with you some wisdom from the great Carl Sagan, one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. In this passage, Carl makes us think about the power of the written word, books in particular, and the impact they have had on civilization. I couldn’t say it any better, so I’ll let Carl explain:
“For 99 percent of the tenure of humans on earth, nobody could read or write. The great invention had not yet been made.
Except for firsthand experience, almost everything we knew was passed on by word of mouth. As in the children’s game
“Telephone,” over tens and hundreds of generations, information would slowly be distorted and lost.
Books changed all that. Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the point of view of others, and not just those in power; to contemplate-with the best teachers – the insights, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, drawn from the entire planet and from all of our history. They allow people long dead to talk inside our heads. Books can accompany us everywhere. Books are patient where we are slow to understand, allow us to go over the hard parts as many times as we wish, and are never critical of our lapses. Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society.”
~Carl Sagan, “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”
His 1995 book , “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” is on my list of my books to acquire next.
“The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”, by Carl Sagan is a powerful defense of scientific thinking and skepticism. In this book, Sagan explores the dangers of superstition and pseudoscience, arguing that without the critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning provided by science, society is at risk of falling into irrational beliefs and fear. Through a series of essays, Sagan emphasizes the importance of skepticism, the scientific method, and education in combating ignorance and promoting a more informed, rational world. The book is a call to embrace curiosity, question the unknown, and use science as a tool to illuminate the darkness of misinformation.
Side note, regarding an anime that I am currently watching called “Dr. Stone”:
The anime “Dr. Stone” aligns closely with the themes in Carl Sagan’s book. The series revolves around the character Senku, a young scientific genius, who wakes up in a world where humanity has been petrified for thousands of years. With civilization reduced to primitive conditions, Senku uses the principles of science to rebuild society from the ground up, focusing on discovery, innovation, and rational thinking.
Much like Sagan’s emphasis on science as a means to dispel ignorance and superstition, “Dr. Stone” showcases how the scientific method and critical thinking can overcome challenges and drive progress. Senku’s journey illustrates the power of science to illuminate the darkness of a world that has lost its technological advancements, fitting perfectly with Sagan’s narrative of science as a “candle in the dark.” The anime celebrates the triumph of human ingenuity and the importance of knowledge, echoing Sagan’s message about the value of scientific literacy in a world full of uncertainties.
Discover more from Adrian Maggio
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
Leave a Reply