Science and Hope. Chapter 2; Demon haunted world. Carl Sagan.
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Your task is to read this chapter for comprehension. First, identify two brief sections that you believe are especially interesting or important. Quote each, then briefly explain why you chose them. Finally, you should distill what you believe to the the primary thesis of the chapter. Write that thesis as simply and directly as you can.
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"Scripture is said to be divinely inspired-a phrase with many meanings. But what if it's simply made up by fallible humans? Miracles are attested, but what if they're instead some mix of charlatanry, unfamiliar states of consciousness, misapprehensions of natural phenomena, and mental illness?"
ReplyDelete"The fact that so little of the findings of modern science is prefigured in Scripture to my mind casts further doubt on its divine inspiration.
-But of course I might be wrong."
I chose these two excerpts because I believe he has a good point. He goes on about how science everyday is developing and progressing, and he wants to point out that science can be proven; scripture cannot. Although most people would believe in scripture anyways.
The thesis of his chapter 2 is to not give up on science and to start making it more known in your everyday world instead of finding other pointless things to do such as Dumb and Dumber. He wants to show you that the more ideas that are tested and researched the mistakes are being minimized. We need to be focusing on things that are proven to work instead of looking into false hopes.
The first thing I found interesting was how coincidentally predictive this text was. In the beginning, the last paragraph discusses his fear of the future - vaguely haunting enough to remind us of our current setting. He later reveals that he is writing this in 1993 and that the future he's dreading is more than likely our present. In particular, I was reminded of our OWN fascination with the future and this fear of what will happen in 2012, when he said
ReplyDelete"when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness."
However, I think a lot of people who were once terrified by technological advances have either grown to accept them or have just boycotted them.
Something else I found interesting was summed up around pages 26 and 27, which (unintentionally or not) reminded me a lot of the debate between evolution and creationism. Personal feelings aside, I think that he makes science sound a lot more rational than religion.
In general, I think that the thesis of this chapter is that science, with the proper portrayal to the masses, can be the most useful tool in the progression of our lives. With the "built-in error correcting," scientists wield a great power.
"Scientists are intent on testing those theories to the breaking point. They do not trust what is intuitively obvious..."
ReplyDeletei find this paragraph to be very interesting because it just shows that nothing can be assumed, anything can be wrong and science is a tool to help discern between facts and beliefs
"The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, ... The plain lesson is that study and learning-not just of science, but of anything-are avoidable, even undesirable."
I love that he said this because I noticed this a couple of years ago and fee the same way. In society today it is almost "uncool" to try in school, or to broaden your learning experience.
I feel like the thesis of this chapter is science needs to be more prevalent in our culture and our lives.
"Again, the reason science works so well is partly that built-in error correcting machinery. There are no forbidden questions in science, no matters too sensitive or delicate to be probed, no sacred truths. That openness to new ideas, combined with the most rigorous, skepti cal scrutiny of all ideas, sifts the wheat from the chaff. It makes no dif ference how smart, august, or beloved you are. You must prove your case in the face of determined, expert criticism. Diversity and debate are valued. Opinions are encouraged to contend-substantively and in depth."
ReplyDeleteI think this is great, because unlike something that depends on superstition or faith, science by definition is open to change and new concepts as we gain a greater understanding of the world around us. Without trying to editorialize too much, it reminds me of a Stephen Hawking quote: "Science will win, because science works."
"Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of confusion and bamboozle requires vigilance, dedication, and courage. But if we don't practice these tough habits of thought, we cannot hope to solve the truly serious problems that face us-and we risk becoming
a nation ofsuckers, a world ofsuckers, up for grabs by the next charla tan who saunters along."
Again, without trying to editorialize too much, I think this quote speaks wonders. The ideas of science (collecting information, scrutiny, evidence, etc.) can be applied to just about anything, and it's amazing how much order there could be on earth if we would only do that.
Carl Sagan has always been someone I've enjoyed (Cosmos is one of my favorite shows) and it's a shame we don't have someone new who has reached his level of being able to show the masses how awesome science is.
“Because science carries us toward an understanding of how the world is, rather than how we would wish it to be, its findings may not in all cases be immediately comprehensible or satisfying.”
ReplyDeleteI think this quote explains Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. Einstein wanted to understand the Universe, and he believed that it existed, even though he had math to back up his theory he did not have a physical way to test for his theory. This shows that even some of our most famous scientists in history sometimes are let down by the limits of technology and knowledge, but at least they are searching for answers.
“Science may be hard to understand. It may challenge cherished beliefs. When its products are placed at the disposal of politicians or industrialists, it may lead to weapons of mass destruction and grave threats to the environment.”
I chose this quote because I believe that it explains what happens when you don’t try and understand things yourself. That if you never question assumed beliefs, and authority figures; you are just another drone controlled by the leaders of our society for their benefit.
I believe that the thesis of this chapter is that nothing should be definite or assumed. That it is good to have science with checks and balances in place to test what we believe to be true. It has happened many times in the past, what was thought be absolute was later proven wrong.
"Science is an attempt, largely successful, to understand the world, to get a grip on things to get hold of ourselves, to steer a safe course."
ReplyDeleteThis quote was remarkable because of the eloquent way it translates a complicated scholarly pursuit into a practical necessity. I believe it summarizes a large portion of the author's point: science is a concrete and empirical way in which we can understand the universe through trial and error. Basically, science, although not foolproof, is the best and most accurate solution for understanding everything that happens around us.
"One of the great commandments of science is, 'Mistrust arguments from authority.' "
This quote was particularly interesting to me because its application is practical in all areas of life. I especially enjoyed how the author contrasted this idea with religion, where followers are expected to blindly and unconditionally believe the teachings of their faith. Personally, I feel that this quote is also applicable to all scholarly pursuits in that no student should indiscriminately accept what is told to them simply because it comes from a person of authority.
Overall, the thesis of this Sagan's article focuses on the benefits and advantages of using science as a way of thinking. Using science as not just scientific knowledge but an approach to life, Sagan suggests, will provide an openness and understanding based on facts and knowledge rather than blind acceptance. While Sagan offers no illusions that science is infallible, he does suggest that it is the best option. In short, Sagan argues that if science rather than mindless garbage was taught, the world would be a much better place.
"...the history of science-by far the most successful claim to knowledge accessible to humans-teaches that the most we can hope for is successive improvement in our understanding, learning from our mistakes, an asymptotic approach to the universe, but with the proviso that absolute certainty will always elude us."
ReplyDeleteThis quote is drawn from page 28, on which Sagan discussed the certainty (or uncertainty) science can provide. The quote suggests that while certainty of knowledge is elusive from even science, science can provide us with better understanding of things based on experimentation and errors or fallacies in what we previously believed.
"Some people consider science arrogant-especially when it purports to contradict beliefs of long standing or when it introduces bizarre concepts that seem contradictory to common sense"
Science can disprove long standing beliefs, and people are not always comfortable with this. However, what I think Sagan is getting at is that rejecting science on these grounds is also rejecting a will to learn and embrace knowledge.
I found the central message of Sagan's writing to be that while science is under appreciated by modern society, it is the most accurate way to bring certainty to things we do not inherently understand. He stressed the point of opening the mind to concrete ideas that can be held up by evidence and facts rather than superstition or false hopes. He concluded by implying that the world could be bettered by an inspired hunger for learning and using science as a tool to most effectively do so.
"The values of science and the values of democracy are concordant, in many cases indistinguishable. Science and democracy began-in their civilized incarnations-in the same time and place, Greece in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. Science confers power on anyone who takes the trouble to learn it (although too many have been systematically prevented from doing so). Science thrives on, indeed requires, the free exchange of ideas; its values are antithetical to secrecy. Science holds to no special vantage points or privileged positions. Both science and democracy encourage unconventional opinions and vigorous debate. Both demand adequate reason, coherent argument, rigorous standards of evidence and honesty. Science is a way to call the bluff of those who only pretend to knowledge. It is a bulwark against mysticism, against superstition, against religion misapplied to where it has no business being. If we're true to its values, it can tell us when we're being lied to. It provides a mid-course correction to our mistakes. The more widespread its language, rules, and methods, the better chance we have of preserving what Thomas Jefferson and his colleagues had in mind. But democracy can also be subverted more thoroughly through the products of science than any pre-industrial demagogue ever dreamed."
ReplyDeleteI know this is a lengthy excerpt, but I found Sagan's comparison and concordance of science and democracy to be very interesting. Many of us see democracy as highly important and essential to the free exchange of ideas. I foudn Sagan's comparison to be interesting, especially after taking a course over the summer on Freedom of Speech. Sagan points out how science "encourage unconventional opinions and vigorous debate" as well as shows us ways in which to point out fallacies. I also enjoyed his comment on how both science and democracy can act as a "bulwark...against religion misapplied to where it has no business being".
"An extraterrestrial being, newly arrived on Earth -scrutinizing what we mainly present to our children in television, radio, movies, newspapers, magazines, the comics, and many books-might easily conclude that we are intent on teaching them murder, rape, cruelty, superstition, credulity, and consumerism. We keep at it, and through constant repetition many of them finally get it. What kind of society could we create if, instead, we drummed into them science and a sense of hope?"
I found the last comment on the chapter to be a horrifying dystopian notion, but one that holds some truth, and a claim which is not too far off. I think that this excerpt was so important because it shows what our modern society values and directs its attention to. We live in an often violent and self centered society with values out of whack. We see this type of behavior covered daily in the media, but but are diverting our actions in the wrong direction. We are normalizing this awful behavior which Sagan fears to be observed by some newly arrived extra terrestrial, rather than reinforcing positive behaviors and actions. I think it is very idealistic to hope to teach and reinforce science and hope to build a better society, but perhaps idealism is a better route to take than nihilism. I also think this last comment of the chapter sums up Sagan's thesis.
Sagan believes that within science, individuals and society can seek truth and hope. Superstitions, pseudoscience, and religion may offer explanations which sound nice, but they can not be proved or disproved in the ways science can. Therefore, we need to invest more time, energy, and education in science if we wish to have better understanding of our world and the unknown.
"An extraterrestrial being, newly arrived on Earth -scrutinizing wh'at we mainly present to our children in television, radio, movies, newspapers, magazines, the comics, and many books-might easily conclude that we are intent on teaching them murder, rape, cruelty, superstition, credulity, and consumerism. We keep at it, and through constant repetition many of them finally get it. What kind of society could we create if, instead, we drummed into them science and a sense of hope?"
ReplyDeleteI found this quote to be very revealing to what our culture has become over the past century. Most of what is being shown to us on television and movies is a image of violence and hate instead of innovation and learning. Children are being brainwashed into believing that crime is the way to go in life instead of getting a solid education.
I found it funny how the author mentioned that most of the graduate students in the field of science at the major American universities are from other countries. We have the greatest opportunity in the world to learn about the fascinating world of science and physics but we sweep it under the rug and in the end this will hurt us.
"You can go to the witch doctor to lift the spell that causes your pernicious anemia, or you can take vitamin Blz ' If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. If you're interested in the sex of your unborn child, you can consult plumb-bob danglers all you want."
I found this quote interesting because it shows how the field of health and science has changed over the years and how important it is to continue to learn more about the mysteries of life and to explore the what else is out there.
I found that the main point of Sagan's piece is that the field of science is under appreciated in modern day society
“We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.”
ReplyDeleteI found this quote interesting because I believe it to be very valid for our current time. Science and especially technology, is a very powerful tool that most people can’t live without, yet don’t totally understand it. I will be the first to admit that if something happens to my Iphone, or my internet service, It becomes a big burden on my live. Yet I don’t really understand how those things operate, I just know that when they aren’t working right, I want them fixed and functional. Those two things are extremely powerful pieces of our current day technology that everyone seems to have and allows us to connect with each other all over the world, and that power can be used in a positive or negative Light.
“Science may be hard to understand. It may challenge cherished beliefs. When its products are placed at the disposal of politicians or industrialists, it may lead to weapons of mass destruction and grave threats to the environment. But one thing you have to say about it: It delivers the goods.”
I found this quote especially interesting because without science, where would we be today? Science provides answers and technologies that we could have never dreamed of. Cures for dieses, cell phones, the internet, the IPod, the Car, all of those things have shaped our lives and our culture. Without them, we wouldn’t be a world superpower or an industrialized nation. Science provides answers and results, while a lot of other things provide theories and skepticism.
I think the thesis of the article is that “Science doesn’t have all the answers to the world, but without it, we would be lost as a civilization. Science brings reason and stability to things that are unstable and foreign. It provides answers and should never be discredited.”
“Ady warned the danger that “the Nations [will] perish for lack of knowledge.” Avoidable human misery is more often cause not so much by stupidity as by ignorance, particularly our ignorance about ourselves.”
ReplyDeleteI thought this quote was interesting because we are able to avoid the misery that humans have endured, yet our ignorance, mainly ourselves, is what is hindering our knowledge of the world and the ways that the world operates. We need to open ourselves up to new ideas and really discover the truth of who we are, where we come from, and how all the creations on Earth occur.
“Humans may crave absolute certainty… the history of science—by far the most successful claim to knowledge accessible to humans—teaches that the most we can hope for is successive improvement in our understanding, learning from mistakes… the most each generation can hope for is to reduce the error bars a little, and to add to the body of data to which the error bars occur.”
This quote has great importance, I believe, because the statement is understandable, and easy for us to see how easily accessible information is for humans. We use so much technology and science in our everyday life, but how many of us actually know what truly happens, what is really going on and how science and technology has flourished over hundreds of years.
I believe that Sagan’s main focus was on the importance of science and technology in our lives, and how essential it is for us to understand science to some degree. He is frustrated because useless entertainment has spoiled our minds and inhibited humans from learning science through different forms, such as radio, TV, newspapers, books, computer programs, theme parks and classrooms. His four main points also are very valid points regarding his position on the importance of science.
“Because science carries us toward an understanding of how the world is, rather than how we would wish it to be, its findings may not in all cases be immediately comprehensible or satisfying.”
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because it addresses a very important fact about science--that it is both used to understand how the world currently is, but is sometimes confusing because science also serves to progress the world to how we want it to be. Because some science is ahead of its time, it's difficult to comprehend and needs further investigation to really flourish. For instance, much research is done to progress the Human Genome but there is still a lot we don't know about it. Frequently researchers are puzzled by discoveries because certain links in the chain are missing, but that doesn't mean they don't exist somewhere in the future.
"Again, the reason science works so well is partly that built-in error correcting machinery. There are no forbidden questions in science, no matters too sensitive or delicate to be probed, no sacred truths."
I chose this quote because it describes how flexible science is. There are no forbidden questions because, as mankind has proven, many things are possible. There are no sensitive matters because if certain "touchy" subjects aren't probed, there is no way to explore what is possible within them. Lastly, there are no sacred truths because not everything is 100% guaranteed true. The world wasn't nearly as flat as early cartographers and scientists believed, and certainly if people didn't start questioning the validity of their "modern" science we wouldn't be as informed as we are on the subject today.
I think the point of Sagan's article is that science is ever-changing and expanding. Nothing is set in stone and the beauty of science is that questions can always arise and new knowledge can always be acquired.
“Humans may crave absolute certainty; they may aspire to it; they may pretend, as partisans of certain religions do, to have attained it. But the history of science -by far the most successful claim to knowledge accessible to humans-teaches that the most we can hope for is successive improvement in our understanding, learning from our mistakes, an asymptotic approach to the Universe, but with the proviso that absolute certainty will always elude us.”
ReplyDeleteI chose this segment because it explains a great deal about the entire concept of science; that it is ever-changing. As our society delves deeper into the scientific world, we will find that there are errors in what we have learned and what we have believed to be true. Throughout history this has been the case. As science broadens, so too does our knowledge of what we still truly don't know.
"Because science carries us toward an understanding of how the world is, rather than how we would wish it to be, its findings may not in all cases be immediately comprehensible or satisfying. It may take a little work to restructure our mindsets. Some of science is very simple. When it gets complicated, that's usually because the world is complicated-or because we're complicated. When we shy away from it because it seems too difficult (or because we've been taught so poorly),
we surrender the ability to take charge of our future. We are disenfranchised. Our self-confidence erodes."
I chose this quote because it explains to me the ideas as to why our nation is slowly becoming one that is falling behind the times scientifically. Other nations around the world are becoming vastly superior to the United States in science and mathematics, maybe our perceptions of self and our egotistical mindsets are preventing us as a nation from thriving scientifically. It just seems to me, that people in the United States are slowly finding other areas to dedicate their lives while nations around the world are thriving. Media especially is causing a U-turn in societal norms where intelligence and pride used to be what American youth wanted to aspire to.
I believe that the central idea to Sagan's article is that we really don't know everything. There will always be revisions and new ideas will come to challenge the old. These new ideas will lead us to further new ideas and someday, hopefully, we will be able to grasp reality in what we believe to be better certainty.
“No contemporary religion and no New Age belief seems to me to take sufficient account of the grandeur, magnificence, subtlety and intricacy of the Universe revealed by science. The fact that so little of the findings of modern science is prefigured in Scripture to my mind casts further doubt on its divine inspiration. “
ReplyDelete“An extraterrestrial being, newly arrived on Earth -scrutinizing what we mainly present to our children in television, radio, movies, newspapers, magazines, the comics, and many books-might easily conclude that we are intent on teaching them murder, rape, cruelty, superstition, credulity, and consumerism. We keep at it, and through constant repetition many of them finally get it. What kind of society could we create if, instead, we drummed into them science and a sense of hope?”
I found that this particular passage made me really step back and think. I’m not a very religious person (perhaps it is because my family is very conservative and religious and I rebel because they push so hard) but when I read the last sentence of that section I too was questioning my own beliefs because I believe in Science and I’m furthering my education in science and maybe it is true that since I have grasped my beliefs in science the realization that “so little of the findings of modern science is prefigured in Scripture” makes me have a more questioning attitude toward Scripture. Science runs our lives and is multi-faceted and amazing that it makes one question how, if Scripture is the basis of how we are to live our lives, then why doesn’t Scripture have more about science in it. The second section I chose because it was fascinating and though provoking to me. I sometimes step back and think about how today children are learning about things that they should have no concern about and also, how they are being subjected to filth and violence that is affecting some of them negatively. If someone came to our planet and saw what we are sometimes blind to they probably would think that all our children are learning about is exactly what the passage said “murder, rape, cruelty, superstition, credulity, and consumerism”. The lack of emphasis some put on education and science is sad because I think it is doing us a great disservice. I think the author’s thesis is just that, that by not putting emphasis on something so real and awesome as science we are only hurting ourselves and lessening our opportunities for good.
"We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements transportation, communications, and all other industries; agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment; and even the key democratic institution of voting-profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."
ReplyDelete-I agree with Sagan's statement completely and believe that this 'combustible mixture of ignorance' has already begun in the United Sates. With the world becoming more and more globalized, we should be focusing more on perfecting our abilities to do math and understand science to our fullest potential so that companies do not have to outsource as much and so that we can compete and be top candidates for jobs in the global job market.
"Despite plentiful opportunities for misuse, science can be the golden road out of poverty and backwardness for emerging nations. It makes national economies and the global civilization run. Many nations understand this."
This is completely accurate, in that through science and technology, doors have been opened for many people who otherwise might not had an opportunity to get a job or make a good living. Sagan is right on point with this statement and I believe that this quote reinforces his argument that Science and Scientists are so important in the preservation of the world that we have come to know.
The main argument that Sagan is trying to explain to us, is that Science is so important in everyday life that we should take more time to really learn and understand it. He is saying that if we do not choose to look to Science for answers to questions that we may have, that life as we know it will fall into disarray.
"Despite plentiful opportunities for misuse, science can be the golden road out of poverty and backwardness for emerging nations. It makes national economies and the global civilization run. Many nations understand this. It is why so many graduate students in science and engineering at American universities-still the best in the world-are from other countries. The corollary, one that the United States sometimes fails to grasp, is that abandoning science is the road back into poverty and backwardness."
ReplyDelete"An extraterrestrial being, newly arrived on Earth -scrutinizing what we mainly present to our children in television, radio, movies, newspapers,magazines, the comics, and many books-might easily conclude that we are intent on teaching them murder, rape, cruelty, superstition,credulity, and consumerism. We keep at it, and through constant repetition many of them finally get it. What kind of society could we create if, instead, we drummed into them science and a sense of hope?"
I picked these two quotes because I think that it is extremely important that we get our children focused on science because like he says, religion and other options of finding truth in things have so many faults, science may still have faults but it gives us answers, these answers are right and can always be expanded upon. It is important to be aware of science and to understand it. He tells us to question authority and to understand why things are the way they are through science.
I think that his main idea in this text is to convince people that science is the best answer to our questions and that it is always new and changing. It is extremely important to have an understanding of science in our daily lives because it affects everything we do. He says that it brings answers and should never be discredited.
"Scientists do not seek to impose their needs and wants on Nature, but instead humbly interrogate Nature and take seriously what they find."
ReplyDeleteI picked this excerpt because I agree with what Sagan is saying. The only way to progress is to question Nature in a mature way. That does not mean that Nature is wholly wrong, but that certain aspects of Nature can be challenged and taken seriously.
"This is one of the reasons that the organized religions do not inspire
me with confidence. Which leaders of the major faiths acknowledge
that their beliefs might be incomplete or erroneous and establish institutes to uncover possible doctrinal deficiencies?"
I chose this passage because again I agree with what Sagan has to say. This entire chapter broadened my perception of science and everything that it means. I believe that he makes a great point with this statement without being entirely disrespectful to religion.
I believe Sagan's thesis for this chapter to be that people should be aware accept science and its ever-expanding knowledge base. He mentions that science, like everything else, is not and will never be perfect, which is the point of experimenting and questioning what has come before you to make the 'error boxes' smaller.
"These efforts will continue as long as there are scientists. General Relativity is certainly an inadequate description of Nature at the quantum level, but even if that were not the case, even if General Relativity were everywhere and forever valid, what better way of convincing ourselves of its validity than a concerted effort to discover its failings and limitations?"
ReplyDeleteI thought this section was very interesting. The scientific community does not frown upon questioning current theories. Unlike religion, you are allowed to question what you are told in science. Looking at scientific experiments from this stand point, there really is no possible bad outcome to there experiments regarding General Relativity. It would have been great if that had found a new error and made developments in our scientific knowledge, but it was just as great that the theory of General Relativity still stands as the best to date.
"Every time a scientific paper presents a bit of data, it's accompanied by an error bar - a quiet but insistent reminder that no knowledge is complete or perfect. It's a calibration of how much we trust what we think we know. "
I think discussing science as being the only thing that always includes room for error is an important point to make. Scientists try to be as accurate as possible by stating where they believe there is room for error. Scientists must be aware of the weak points in their findings and theories.
Sagan's primary theme to the article is the vast importance of science. It is the key to our advancement as a people. It is also the most accurate and scrutinized field which leads to a plethora of findings and advancements.
"Not every branch if science can foretell the future- paleontology can't- but many can and with stunning accuracy. If you want to know when the next eclipse of the sun will be, you might try magicians or mystics, but you'll do much better with scientist. they will tell you where on the Earth to stand, when you have to be there, and whether it will be a partial eclipse, total eclipse, or annual eclipse... If you want real accuracy... Try Science."
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting point he is getting at, in some ways science can predict events in the future. If you want to go by the facts and what is accurate than go with science. He talks earlier in the chapter about how he worries that "as the millennium edges nearer, pseudoscience and superstition will seem year by year more tempting," which is very true if we are lazy and don't continue to advance in science than things are going to go bad.
"The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance... The plain lesson is that study and learning - not just of science, but of anything- are avoidable, and even undesirable.
This paragraph on page 26 kind of sets the mood in this chapter. I feel that this is a very true statement, at least in my case, I don't like to do research and hard work. I'd rather be watching one of those idiotic shows on television. I do feel that in many cases this is true, study and learning are becoming more and more avoidable, and even undesirable.
"We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."
ReplyDeleteThis is an important quote because it shows where Sagan is coming from and what he sees happening in the world around him. He fears that if things keep going the way they are in the world that ignorance is going to take over the majority of the world and it will be the destruction of mankind if something is not done about it. He feels that science is the answer to our problems.
"If the error bars are small, the accuracy of our empirical knowledge is high; if the error bars are large, then so is the uncertainty in our knowledge. Except in pure mathematics, nothing is known for certain (although much is certainly false)."
This shows that he understands that science is not absolute and he comments later that nothing is absolute in life but science is the best we have to explain things in the world and we need to use science to understand other things in life that we don’t understand. He comments that the only things that we can do is try and make the error bar as small as possible.
Sagan's main idea for the article is to show and try and explain science through his eyes and tries to explain it in a way that anyone reading the article can understand and educate them on science and how important it is to our society. He feels that we need to place science higher in our society than we do today or things are going to go downhill unless something is done about it.
"We have arranged a global civilization in which the most crucial elements....profoundly depend on science and technology."
ReplyDeleteI found this excerpt to be interesting because it is true and, to me, scary. Because our society has been built upon science, sometimes we disregard non science approaches as unimportant. This can have dire consequences. For example, when looking at health and sickness, the biomedical model is commonly looked to for solutions while others may be overlooked. When a person is suffering from depression, it may be due to a chemical imbalance to the brain. But looking outside the biomedical model, one may discover their depression is linked to something external in their life, such as a death of a close friend.
"Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality."
I found this interesting because science and spirituality are commonly viewed as opposite entities when, actually, they both are seeking the same thing: answers.
Sagan is writing to explain that science is beneficial because it allows room for experimentation and errors. And because it allows for errors, it also makes room for growth and progress.
I am interested in this passage:
ReplyDelete"We are constantly stumbling on surprises. Yet some New Age and religious writers assert that scientists believe that "what they find is all there is." Scientists may reject mystic revelations for which there is no evidence except somebody's say-so, but they hardly believe their knowledge of Nature to be complete."
I believe that the only way for anything to be exacting is to change throughout time. The idea of religious belief overshadowing true science is threatening to our worldly progression towards higher intelligence. Our need to believe in something that has not been proven to exist, however, is always in constant struggle with real study, experimentation and overall discovery. Sagan's attempt to address science in such a fashion that all can love it as he does, comes with certain obstacles, many of which deal with the ignorance or apathy of the public.
"Think of how many religions attempt to validate themselves with prophecy. Think of how many people rely on these prophecies, how ever vague, however unfulfilled, to support or prop up their beliefs. Yet has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science? There isn't a religion on the planet that doesn't long for a comparable ability-precise, and repeatedly demonstrated before committed skeptics - to foretell future events. No other human institution comes close."
Sagan reminds me a lot of British biologist Richard Dawkins in this passage. Like Sagan, Dawkins devalues creationism and sees people of faith as idiots, and imagines a world unruined by issues of religious mythology.
THESIS:
ReplyDeleteScience is a unique field that is constantly improving through scrutiny and new research, and the scientific process is the best tool we have for understanding the world as it truly is. Furthermore, through the use of science, we can improve the world around us in all major aspects.
INTERESTING PARTS:
"Every time a scientific paper presents a bit of data, it's accompanied by an error bar-a quiet but insistent reminder that no knowledge is complete or perfect."
I enjoyed this part because it eloquently re-emphasies one of my favorite themes in the paper - the theme that scientists are constantly scrutinizing and correcting their field. Most importantly, they are completely honest, transparent, and open to new ideas. The body of knowledge produced by science is flexible and constantly improving, and that's a major reason why it is the best set of knowledge (and also the best tool) we will ever have.
"Humans may crave absolute certainty; they may aspire to it; they may pretend, as partisans of certain religions do, to have attained it.
But the history of science - by far the most successful claim to knowledge accessible to humans-teaches that the most we can hope for is
successive improvement in our understanding, learning from our mistakes, an asymptotic approach to the Universe, but with the provison that absolute certainty will allude us."
This quote does a lot of expanding and rehashing of my previous point. However, it says it more clearly and emphasizes that fact that the scientific method is the best tool we can ever hope for. Perhaps more importantly, this quote pays particular attention to the human desire for absolute certainty, which can result in dangerous things such as blindly following easy "truths" (I use this word ironically) such as religion.
ANNA WEISHEIMER