Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
Human beings grew up in forests; we have a natural affinity for them. How lovely a tree is, straining toward the sky.
Interpretation
Humans have an inherent connection to nature, particularly forests, which symbolizes beauty and aspiration.
In this quote, Carl Sagan emphasizes the deep-rooted relationship humans have with nature, particularly forests. He highlights the beauty and elegance of trees as they reach for the sky, suggesting that our growth and aspirations are mirrored in the natural world around us. This connection to nature is not only profound but essential to our identity and well-being.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a presentation on environmental conservation.
Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
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.
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
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.
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.
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
I've been bitten by a python. Not a very big one. I was being silly, saying: 'Oh, it's not poisonous...' Then, wallop! But you have fear around animals.
There is much the government can do and should do to improve the environment. But even more important is the individual who plants a tree or cleans a corner of neglect. For it is the individual who himself benefits, and also protects a heritage of beauty for his children and future generations.
I am always more interested in people than plants. Nature doesn't make gardens, people make gardens. And the story of a garden is always the story of a person.
Working for the earth is not a way to get rich, it is a way to be rich.
They ravaged neither the rivers nor the forest, and if they irrigated, they took as little water as would serve their needs. The land and all that it bore they treated with consideration; not attempting to improve it, they never desecrated it.
A lot of people think they need to give up nature to become adults but that's not true. However, you have to be careful how you describe and define 'nature.'
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