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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Sagan's wit & humility come through the page well, & create a hunger for more info on science history & the scientific method. Currently re-reading this gem, & surprised how much I'd forgotten; this time for a slow, digesting, read, with breaks for novels & anthologies. Took a 2-day break to read The Etherophone Player, by Simon Maginn, but can't see how to add that to Goodreads.
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I cannot express how much I loved this book. Carl Sagan's passion for not just science but the methods of science and skepticism just shine through.
I don't what much more there is to say about this book. If you haven't read it you really should go check it out.
I don't what much more there is to say about this book. If you haven't read it you really should go check it out.
A sobering read given today's political climate. This was written over twenty years ago and it is sadly even more relevant now.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Do you like history? Or nature? Or are you interested in the world in general? Read this book!
The holly book of critical thinking. Carl Sagan shows the importance of critical thinking and rational thought and its impact in our society as well as in our own lives.
As a big advocate for education and the scientific method, he also shows the scary consequences of illiteracy, especially when in the hands of those who want to keep people that way.
I fully agree that these topics should be taught from an early age in school, teaching everyone to ask why and to say “I don’t know” when necessary.
This book is a great place to start and would be very useful if discussed in school.
“If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power.”
As a big advocate for education and the scientific method, he also shows the scary consequences of illiteracy, especially when in the hands of those who want to keep people that way.
I fully agree that these topics should be taught from an early age in school, teaching everyone to ask why and to say “I don’t know” when necessary.
This book is a great place to start and would be very useful if discussed in school.
“If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power.”
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Sagan was excellent at explaining the wonders of science to the masses. Some parts of this book are now a bit dated since in some chapters he uses data from the 80s and 90s; after all, it was written in the mid-90s, but it is still my favorite read / listen. To listen to this was a joy, with Cary Elwes reading most of the story, and Seth MacFarlane reading a few chapters as well. Ann Druyan read the introduction. Great, great narration.
Relating to the book's age, there were at least two instances where Carl addresses about two things that happened after he wrote the book. He talks about how General Relativity is dependent on and would unravel without gravitational waves, which have never been detected. In 2016, LIGO detected them! In another part of the book he maligns those who believe in the face and structures on Mars (as interpreted from Viking I images) and hoped that future Mars missions with high definition cameras would photograph these areas and set the record straight. This happened. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took high definition pictures that showed that these structures were optical illusions and not the product of an advance race on Mars.
Carl tackles numerous subjects in this book. He is an eloquent writer.
This book should be required reading in America, a country that still embraces pseudoscience and superstition. I can't rate this book high enough.
Relating to the book's age, there were at least two instances where Carl addresses about two things that happened after he wrote the book. He talks about how General Relativity is dependent on and would unravel without gravitational waves, which have never been detected. In 2016, LIGO detected them! In another part of the book he maligns those who believe in the face and structures on Mars (as interpreted from Viking I images) and hoped that future Mars missions with high definition cameras would photograph these areas and set the record straight. This happened. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took high definition pictures that showed that these structures were optical illusions and not the product of an advance race on Mars.
Carl tackles numerous subjects in this book. He is an eloquent writer.
This book should be required reading in America, a country that still embraces pseudoscience and superstition. I can't rate this book high enough.