Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
'In his celebrated book, 'On Liberty', the English philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that silencing an opinion is "a peculiar evil." If the opinion is right, we are robbed of the "opportunity of exchanging error for truth"; and if it's wrong, we are deprived of a deeper understanding of the truth in its "collision with error." If we know only our own side of the argument, we hardly know even that: it becomes stale, soon learned by rote, untested, a pallid and lifeless truth.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of open discourse and the exchange of differing opinions for a deeper understanding of truth.
Carl Sagan highlights John Stuart Mill's argument against silencing opinions, stating that both the right and wrong views contribute to our grasp of truth. Without engaging with opposing perspectives, individuals risk clinging to uninformed and stagnant beliefs, missing out on the richness that comes from questioning and debating ideas.
Themes
TruthOpinionDebateUnderstandingKnowledgeSilencing
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on free speech, you might use this quote to highlight the importance of discussing controversial topics.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes →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.
Carl SaganRead
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
Carl SaganRead
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.
Carl SaganRead
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.
Carl SaganRead
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Carl SaganRead
Similar quotes
We must be convinced that abundance is the natural state of the Universe. To experience and accept abundance in our life, we must be convinced that as we conceive and believe, the Universe handles the details.
Ernest HolmesRead
Man can and does rationalize his sins. He finds reasons for all his weakness, invents excuses that first calm and then deaden his conscience. He blames God, society, education, and environment for his wrong doing.
Mother AngelicaRead
If everyone isn't beautiful, then no one is.
Andy WarholRead
Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old.
Jonathan SwiftRead
You can have an interesting story about a person living an interesting life. And if it's done well, that is just as engaging as the end of the world. A million people dying - we can't process. One person, we can process.
Patrick RothfussRead
Man in a word has no nature; what he has... is history.
Jose Ortega Y GassetRead