Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
Sagan's "compete with one another in good works" graf:
"Let us vie in art and science, in music and literature, in technological innovation. Let us have an honesty race. Let us compete in relieving suffering and ignorance and disease; in respecting national independence worldwide; in formulating and implementing an ethic for responsible stewardship of the planet."
"Let us vie in art and science, in music and literature, in technological innovation. Let us have an honesty race. Let us compete in relieving suffering and ignorance and disease; in respecting national independence worldwide; in formulating and implementing an ethic for responsible stewardship of the planet."
informative
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I’m generally a fan of Sagan, but in this book we get a lot of the political activist Sagan, and less science, so it’s just not my cup of tea. If Sagan were to give as much analysis on the profit motive as he does to science topics then perhaps it would be more interesting, but without in depth thoughts here, the entirety of part 2 comes off as common, shallow, political analysis.
Sagan really does give us some perspective-altering thoughts on life and death.
What I found especially moving was the fact that his thoughts and albeit grim projections are still horrifyingly relevant today.
His writing captures your attention in a way few others can. Not only does he cause us to pause and think, but he also allows us to feel very deeply. His writing is passionate and humble, his insight invaluable.
The world would be better with more people like Sagan, more open-minded skeptics.
This work, like his others, is a treasure.
What I found especially moving was the fact that his thoughts and albeit grim projections are still horrifyingly relevant today.
His writing captures your attention in a way few others can. Not only does he cause us to pause and think, but he also allows us to feel very deeply. His writing is passionate and humble, his insight invaluable.
The world would be better with more people like Sagan, more open-minded skeptics.
This work, like his others, is a treasure.
Okay, there are definitely chapters here that should be required reading for honors science and/or math students here. There are definitely chapters that I think any science-minded adult or even those that are at least fascinated by science should be reading. For myself, it was the book that opened up my first thoughts that perhaps religion as an institution could be detrimental, and that there was a beginning of a dividing line between the institution and the spirituality that the institution tried to encompass. Recently re-read and loved it all the same.
I bought this book on a whim because I found a cheap, decent & used copy for a price I couldn't pass up. I've gotten more than my money's worth for this one. It's a great book & demonstrates how thoughtful Sagan was. I remember Bill Nye growing up but definitely wished I had been exposed to Carl Sagan as well. It's his memoirs written a little before his death. His thoughts on important issues such as Global Warming (Climate Change), our history as a species, our growth as a species & where we should be headed are thought provoking. It also is a little sad to see how little progress we've made on certain issues, specifically Global Warming (Climate Change), especially with how simply he demonstrates what the problem behind it is. We as a species can not afford to be stubborn. I'm glad I got this book & will likely dig into some of his other work as well. Because I've watched the "Cosmos" series, it wasn't hard to imagine the written words in his voice. Awesome book! Wish we had more careful, thoughtful people such as he.
"Nature does not always conform to our predispositions & preferences, to what we deem comfortable & easy to understand." - Carl Sagan, Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life & Death at the Brink of the Milliennium
"The world is so exquisite, with so much love & moral depth, that there is no reason to decieve ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far batter, it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look Death in the eye & to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides." - Carl Sagan, Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life & Death at the Brink of the Milliennium
"Nature does not always conform to our predispositions & preferences, to what we deem comfortable & easy to understand." - Carl Sagan, Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life & Death at the Brink of the Milliennium
"The world is so exquisite, with so much love & moral depth, that there is no reason to decieve ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far batter, it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look Death in the eye & to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides." - Carl Sagan, Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life & Death at the Brink of the Milliennium
This book was ok, with a few very interesting insights. I'm reading it 20 years after being published and find some very curious connections to society that are mentioned in the book. Additionally, there are many predictions that either sadly have come true or still are not being addressed at the level needed. However, the book felt a bit unorganized, especially the chapter about abortion. Normally, I like books that have greater detail on one subject when reading nonfiction, so this book only mentions lots of topics, but none in great depth.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
The epilogue made me sob.
Lembro-me da primeira vez que me deparei com Carl Sagan. Era um vídeo legendado no Facebook, em que um homem de meia-idade, com uma pronúncia peculiar, dizia: "We're made of star stuff" (para os curiosos, o trecho está disponível em https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaj407ofjNE). Naquela época, ainda bastante religioso, fiquei profundamente intrigado por essa afirmação. Essa simples frase foi a catapulta que me impulsionou a mergulhar de cabeça no fascinante mundo da astronomia, fazendo com que temas como a evolução do universo, supernovas, buracos negros, Relatividade Geral e, por fim, abraçar, pra entender porque eramos feitos de poeira estelar, a Teoria da Evolução. E tudo começou com um vídeo despretensioso de uma pessoa incrível, entre as bilhões que já passaram por este pequeno ponto azul pálido.
Assim como "O Mundo Assombrado pelos Demônios", de Sagan, este livro demonstra como a ciência permeia cada aspecto de nossas vidas, mostrando como podemos torná-las melhores. Não apenas aborda questões como o aquecimento global, mas também explora ética, especialmente no capítulo sobre o aborto, abordando o assunto de maneira abrangente. Apesar de ser uma obra escrita antes do novo milênio, continua surpreendentemente relevante. Infelizmente, enfrentamos desafios na batalha contra as mudanças climáticas, mas é inspirador ver como mentes brilhantes já propuseram soluções muito antes de considerarmos. E o epílogo do livro, escrito por Ann Druyan, é um suspiro emocionante para todos que admiram o autor.
Carl Sagan vive!
Assim como "O Mundo Assombrado pelos Demônios", de Sagan, este livro demonstra como a ciência permeia cada aspecto de nossas vidas, mostrando como podemos torná-las melhores. Não apenas aborda questões como o aquecimento global, mas também explora ética, especialmente no capítulo sobre o aborto, abordando o assunto de maneira abrangente. Apesar de ser uma obra escrita antes do novo milênio, continua surpreendentemente relevante. Infelizmente, enfrentamos desafios na batalha contra as mudanças climáticas, mas é inspirador ver como mentes brilhantes já propuseram soluções muito antes de considerarmos. E o epílogo do livro, escrito por Ann Druyan, é um suspiro emocionante para todos que admiram o autor.
Carl Sagan vive!