Sedai
12-22-04, 03:12 PM
December 20th marked the anniversary of the passing of Dr. Carl Sagan, a brilliant human being that I respect a great deal. Carl brought science to the masses, beginning with his extraordinary research and wonderful, accessible television series in the 1970's, Cosmos. By taking complex scientific ideas, and presenting them in such a way that the average person could understand, he ignited a flame of scientific discovery throughout the world. Astronomy, antropology, and biology became fun to learn through Carl.
Carl was also one of the first scientists to recognize the possibility of a higher power, that we as humans were only beginning to understand, discarding the hard line anti-creationism methods of most scientists at the time. Although Carl did his best to debunk the whole "Punishing God who will smite the unbeliever" thing, he opened a dialouge between the scientific world and the religious community by respectfull refusing to trample over the idea that there could be a grand design behind the universe. One of the few scientists to attempt a balancing act between the two scools of thought, he had to contend with detractors from both sides, making for a difficult stance. Regardless, he stayed his course and brought knowledge and understanding to any who would take the time to listen.
I'd like to post a few links to some Carl resources as well as recommend a few books for those interested in learning more about the works of this brilliant man.
www.carlsagan.com
Planetary Society Tribute (http://www.planetary.org/html/society/tributes/)
Baloney Detection Kit (http://www.uiowa.edu/~anthro/webcourse/lost/sagan.htm)
Books available on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=pd_sim_b_2/102-0108573-2643337?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=CARL%20SAGAN)
Some of my favorite reads by Carl are:
A Demon Haunted World : Science as a Candle in the Dark
Billions and Billions : A Collection of Essays
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Thanks for all cool concepts and learning fun, Carl. We still miss you!!
Carl was also one of the first scientists to recognize the possibility of a higher power, that we as humans were only beginning to understand, discarding the hard line anti-creationism methods of most scientists at the time. Although Carl did his best to debunk the whole "Punishing God who will smite the unbeliever" thing, he opened a dialouge between the scientific world and the religious community by respectfull refusing to trample over the idea that there could be a grand design behind the universe. One of the few scientists to attempt a balancing act between the two scools of thought, he had to contend with detractors from both sides, making for a difficult stance. Regardless, he stayed his course and brought knowledge and understanding to any who would take the time to listen.
I'd like to post a few links to some Carl resources as well as recommend a few books for those interested in learning more about the works of this brilliant man.
www.carlsagan.com
Planetary Society Tribute (http://www.planetary.org/html/society/tributes/)
Baloney Detection Kit (http://www.uiowa.edu/~anthro/webcourse/lost/sagan.htm)
Books available on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=pd_sim_b_2/102-0108573-2643337?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=CARL%20SAGAN)
Some of my favorite reads by Carl are:
A Demon Haunted World : Science as a Candle in the Dark
Billions and Billions : A Collection of Essays
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Thanks for all cool concepts and learning fun, Carl. We still miss you!!