Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
There is a lurking fear that some things are not “meant" to be known, that some inquiries are too dangerous for human beings to make.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the idea that some knowledge may be too perilous for humanity to pursue.
Carl Sagan expresses a cautionary perspective on the limits of human inquiry, suggesting that there are certain truths or areas of knowledge that may be inherently dangerous or detrimental for us to explore. This perspective invites a reflection on the ethical implications of scientific exploration and the responsibilities that come with acquiring knowledge.
Themes
KnowledgeFearInquiryDangerTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about ethical boundaries in scientific research.
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
What you resist persists. And only what you look at, and own, can disappear. You make it disappear by simply changing your mind about it.
Neale Donald WalschRead
We're [President Barack Obama and I] clear on the fact that we have to stay humble and prayerful. We have to dig down deep to our roots. When things come together, we know some of it is Barack, some of it is us-but a lot of it has nothing to do with either of us.
Michelle ObamaRead
Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience. A rustling in the leaves drives him away.
Walter BenjaminRead
America... goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.
John Quincy AdamsRead
But after a while you learn to cope with things like seeing your dead grandmother crawling up your leg with a knife in her teeth. Most acid fanciers can handle this sort of thing.
Hunter S. ThompsonRead
The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world.
Reinhold NiebuhrRead