Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
Has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science? . . . No other human institution comes close.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the unmatched reliability of scientific inquiry compared to other belief systems.
Carl Sagan highlights the unmatched accuracy and dependability of science as a method of understanding the universe. Unlike religious or mythical frameworks, science relies on evidence, experimentation, and observation, establishing a strong foundation for knowledge that no other human institution has been able to replicate.
Themes
ScienceReliabilityKnowledgeAccuracyInquiry
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on the importance of education, this quote can reinforce the value of scientific literacy.
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.
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How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
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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.
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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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The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Carl SaganRead
Similar quotes
Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence -- evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge. It doesn’t hold on to medieval practices because they are tradition.
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Evolution is a fact. It is the best explanation of what is known from observations. It's a theory as powerful as the theory of gravity.
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For me, arguably the story of telomeres and telomerase began thousands of years ago, in the cornfields of the Maya highlands of Central America.
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A single neuron in the brain is an incredibly complex machine that even today we don't understand. A single 'neuron' in a neural network is an incredibly simple mathematical function that captures a minuscule fraction of the complexity of a biological neuron.
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I have made hundreds of dives in submersibles, with each dive holding the promise of seeing an organism or a behavior that no one has ever seen before. But I have always wondered about the animals and behaviors that we're not seeing because our bright lights and loud thrusters scare them away.
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Whether it is to reduce our carbon-dioxide emissions or to prepare for when the coal and oil run out, we have to continue to seek out new energy sources.
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