Carl Sagan's Sharpest Arguments Against Religion
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- What is the essence of Science, and how does the idea of God, Faith and Religion conflict with scientific thinking? In this compiled video, Carl Sagan gives his opinion on this subject, in an inspiring and moving matter.
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Sources:
Carl Sagan's 1994 "Lost" Lecture: The Age of Exploration
Carl Sagan's last interview with Charlie Rose
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Interview: Carl Sagan, tvo
Carl Sagan - Science vs Religion
Background music:
NaturesEye - Ambient Piano Meditation
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Carl Sagan had the best response to whether or not he believed in god:
“I don’t want to believe. I want to know”.
If he really wanted to know surely he would have studied theology? After all if you or I wanted to know about the cosmos we would study astronomy.
@@jameshogan6142 - I think he was saying that he would prefer if the existence of god was supported by factual evidence as opposed to opinion. It will always lead back to philosophy 101 - faith vs. reason.
@@vdimasteremeritusfaith has nothing to do with believing things except maybe to USA fundies
@@jameshogan6142 which theology? Cause there's over 5 thousand religions. You can't expect him to devote his life to myths
It was a degree course in theology in a national university. It was attended by students from various denominations. Mythology was covered by the syllabus as in how the authors of scripture used myth as a literary form to convey truth that is difficult to describe in prose. Students are introduced to techniques which differentiate between historical books such as the gospels and parables such as the book of Job. You are correct that Sagan could not be expected to devote his life to the study of myths since he has devoted his life to Astronomy. . English professors and Lecturers in other forms of literary expression such as poetry are eminently qualified to do do so. While everyone including Sagan is entitled to his opinion I would not place much faith in his pronouncements outside of science for the same reason I would prefer to consult an astronomer rather than a theologian if I wanted to learn about the cosmos. @@Melnokina.-.
I’m 76 year old women. Carl Sagan was my first crush. I could listen and learn from him for hours.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa😂❤
Intelligent, and confident enough to be humble. That's timelessly sexy. 😘
It makes me sad..and mad...that I can and have purchased hundreds of movies and thousands of hours of serials on Amazon to stream...and yet I cannot stream Carl Sagan's COSMOS series.
7- year old man, me too :)
Might your romantic inclinations influence hearing his worldview?
He was the clearest most logical human being I’ve ever seen.
I'd like to add Brian Cox and Alan Watts to that list. No yelling or condescension, just clear explanations. Christopher Hitchens is on the list too, but he had such a large vocabulary (and used it all), that I sometimes had trouble following him.
@@hopelessnerd6677all wrong .Science now supports the book of genesis,big bang then light and stars and all from nothing
@@hopelessnerd6677 I think Sagan had second-to-none ability to explain very complex things with very simple words and concepts. I'm sure Sagan used a lot of time thinking who to do that.
It's hard to explain complex things with simple words and still keep the total length of the communication as short as possible while also keeping it fully accurate.
When I try to explain something to other people, I try to simple words and simple concepts as much as possible. And I'm usually successful keeping it fully accurate, too. But I'm not smart enough to keep it short at the same time. "Sorry for the long writing. I didn't have enough time/skills to make it short without losing accuracy."
@@hopelessnerd6677 Alan Watts can put things into words perfectly that I have been thinking about since I was a child, but had no way to express.
@@lancemangham997 but now out of date likewise Cox .try NASA and many of todays cosmologists ,astronomers and phycicists
Had to copy this one.. _"I think the essence of the scientific method is the willingness to admit you were wrong, the willingness to abandon ideas that don't work. And the essence of religion is not to change anything, the supposed truths are handed down by some revered figure and then no one is supposed to make any progress beyond that because all the truth is thought to be in hand."_ --Carl Sagan
Please watch and share with others my four brief videos in which I present examples of scientific facts contained in the Bible, facts that the writers thousands of years ago could not have been aware of without divine knowledge given to them by Jesus Christ / The God of the Bible. And today's scientists agree with those facts!
There is nothing scientific in the bible that was not already known by the Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. Though many theists enjoy projecting modern scientific discoveries and theories onto obscure and ambiguous verses that have nothing at all to do with later scientific knowledge. It's all utter horsesh t.
Carl is wrong. When he study a piece of rock and found the something that is not supposed to be there is presented in the rock. Who supposed to change, the rock or him?
@thetratioedruthaboutscienceandgod6921
@@realdemocracy7473you have to change his knowledge. That's the point of the take
As De Grasse Tyson said “the universe is under no obligation to make sense to you”.
Just like the universe owes you no "justice"
Tyson is just recycling every last thing Sagan said 40 years earlier.
doesnt mean it wont make sence to us.
@@justincredible. That's true. You can also think about that if something happens to you or someone you love dies to violence or something else.
Love that quote. That quote is actually the entirety of my Facebook bio
This man... He made science sound poetic.
There is beauty in science, repetition and rythm, coherence and measure, and all of that is poetry.
Science is poetic, science is beautiful, the fact we came from almost nothing is amazing, the way we evolved and changed to get to where we are is beautiful
I really miss Carl.
@@eteggroll8913Yes, it would be beautiful, if humans weren't in it.
@@usatennisproff humans are terrible and i cannot deny that, but we are still amazing beautiful creatures. We feel love, empathy, compassion, hatred and a plethora of emotions and feelings
We are extremely intelligent, we have thousands of languages and cultures. We are the species that started from using stone and wood to protect ourselves, to building skyscrapers, pyramids, electronics etc
We are the species that left our planet and went to the moon
We may not be perfect creatures, and some of us may be horrible people, but we're still amazing beings who have accomplished great things and will continue to do even better
This man is SO sadly missed .
An utter genius and SO calm, thoughtful and inspirational, whilst always showing that he will genuinely consider the possibility, no matter how remote, that a "god" in the biblical rather than Spinoza form, does exist.
How he constructed and laid out in the screen play, of probably my favourite movie of ALL time, "Contact" (which turned out sadly to be his swansong, ) this is shown to great effect.
I'd suggest you have to watch that movie numerous times to get ALL the nuances that it contains.
What an utter genius and SO sadly missed..
You are stardust again, as you once were, shall be again and will be for ALL eternity.
RIP Carl
Wait a minute, this guy wrote the screen play of "Contact" with Jodi Foster? I'm gonna have to Google this
@@elibella5660 Correct.
Well with his wife Anne he wrote the book in 1985 which in 1997 was turned into the film, but sadly he never got to see it completed.
At the start of the end credits it simply says "For Carl".
Very poignant.
@@elibella5660 I would totally agree.
It is I think, my absolute favourite film of all time
@@elibella5660 He wrote the novel as well which is much better
@Shay Bozo Er,... don't think so...as he doesn't exist.
So.. no "he" won't actually, but hey, ... thanks for the Armageddon Weather Forecast. Lol.
"Armageddon Weather Forecast is sponsored by Co Op Funeral Services.
'With you to the very end- Double stamps on Judgement Day"
.....lol
I think it was Pablo Picasso who said, "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."
I think Carl did both.
@@hammalammadingdong6244 the Bhudda says our lifes work is to find our lifes work.love plattitudes
@@hammalammadingdong6244 the bhudda says,yr lifes work is to find yr lifes work.oh I love plattitudes
Makes me almost want to cry, the music even makes his arguments which come out so serene and humble be even clearer. This is GOLD
I didn't find him to be humble. He comes across as arrogant because he is straying into a field in which he has very little learning and is making pronouncements which he expects his listeners to accept with the same conviction as they do his authentic teaching on science.
@@jameshogan6142 You're well triggered. Maybe you realise your religion is just a load of absurd crap and are having difficulty assimilating this?
@@jameshogan6142 Happy to entertain specifics of him "straying" and which "pronouncements" specifically you can demonstrate him being WRONG about... Or was your intent to just lob and run?
@@brianmi40it was to be a religious troll and lob and run.
@brianmi40 That's all this clown does on this and other threads. "Lob & run" is a good description of it.
Carl Sagan was a gift of nature to humanity, no god needed! People like him occur naturally, we only need to see them for what they are, and encourage them to bloom.
I disagree. Instead of “god” you say “nature”. Dr Sagan’s thoughts and concise communications thereof can be considered a gift to those who can hear it for the truth it is.
We need more clear, rational speakers of this description of reality.
@@brian1204 Please don't put words in my mouth, or meaning I did not express! I am not replacing "God" with nature, because I don't believe there is such a thing as a god to begin with and therefore cannot "Replace" it! I am also only using a well understood colloquial trope of assigning "Gift to nature" and not to god because nature does exist for sure. I am also not insinuating agency and/or will, but reinforcing the chances within probability which come with natural processes. By saying "Gift of nature" I am going against anyone believing there is such a thing as a god, and not just using a bad and disingenuous replacement for god in order to deceive!
It also applies to others, not just Carl Sagan, although he is an exceptional example to strive to be like, and even he was often very poetic and used more common language in his communication, which is why he's made such a huge impact over those being clinical about it, which is not as appealing to the masses who are the ones needing the message most! Some people cannot hear the truth for what it is without it being communicated in language they can understand.
@@Bob-of-Zoid thank you for clarifying.
@@brian1204 No problem.
@maxc9334 To start with: Yes I read the bible, front to back, cover to cover, and even wrote it out in it's entirety in calligraphy as punishment for telling clurgy at the catholic bording school I was at that they were insane to believe such absurd nonsense! As for other religions: The bible is the book of judaism on which the book of the christians was based, as well as the quran, wasn't it? It sure as the sun shines is! I was only 12 years old then, but didn't believe a word of it before then, having nothing but other make believe stories and fairytales as examples, and I can see no real difference, so what makes it so much more compelling? Nothing at all, just your indoctrination having worked, and mine didn't, because I got lucky to have been a natural skeptic.
The truth is no matter what silly and logically fallacious arguments you can throw at me I don't need to read them to figure out they are nonsensical, because I have reality and fact based science and even my own observations to go by, and my epistemology isn't broken, as it is with millions of religious and pseudoscience believers! Mere belief, truth does not make, but evidence and irrefutable facts can be believed, because there's a big difference between faith based belief, and true justified belief, and all of your justification will fall apart, I guaranty it, and you can try me on that too!
Did you read harry potter in order to come to the conclusion witchcraft is true? Are Winnie The Pooh and his friends real too? They have a talking donkey just like the bible, and so does Shrek for that matter, does that give them more weight? Maybe the thousands of children's books with anthropomorphized animals makes the claim "Animals can talk" true? Does the fact that people wrote stuff about aliens living among us, make them true, and the fact that their claims just do not not comport with reality point at an alternate reality, or just reflect human nature of story telling? What about the human condition, and the known psychology behind such behaviors that have people believe all kinds of absurd nonsense? That can be dismissed? Really? So actual science that was studied in depth by millions of people following the evidence where it leads, and not just a small group making claims and showing zero viable evidence whatsoever, as is for every religious and pseudoscience claim holds more weight than demonstrable evidence?
Yeah right, keep on dreaming!
Wow, I don't know how I didn't know about this guy growing up ( probably because I didn't care about this stuff as a teenager 😂or at least no where near how I am today) , but I love that he's making a come back on these social media platforms! He was truly a man to listen to. Beautifully put together concepts that were understandable and sensical. Thank you for making and posting this video 😊
If you've never seen it, the original Cosmos TV series, from the 80s, is superb.
RIP Carl.
To anyone who finds this and feels like the OP, consider reading "The Demon Haunted World" by Sagan. It may not be as beautifully inspirational as Cosmos but it gives a great insight into what can go wrong with society. Sadly or ironically, much of it now reads like prophecy. Take care, fellow stardust.
Sensible* sensical isn't a word.
Me either he’s so smart human being.
Carl Sagan. Ahead of his time. Always so relevant. No time for gibberish with him.
I agree. I have no time for his gibberish on religion. I am a massive fan when it comes to his science though.
@@jameshogan6142 Hmm... "Interesting" take. I'd argue that his views on religion are inextricably connected to "his science". What exactly is getting you so upset that you feel the need to label a well thought out and presented argument along the line of "these areas are the domain of religion, and science is not" as gibberish?
You are the one getting uptight. I was agreeing with another person who said he had no time for gibberish.. I believe that he was not educated enough in that field to have any significant authority in it. Flat earthers make well thought out and presented arguments also but I would heed what Sagan has to say on astronomy over them precisely because he does have competency and expert knowledge. @@dayegilharno4988
@@dayegilharno4988 Don't bother with Jameshogan, he's being a sulky baby 'cos he's stuck in a religious mindset that fears any criticism as it cannot stand against rationality.
@@dayegilharno4988z
I need to read more Carl Sagan, thank you for this video.
A Demon Haunted World is an excellent choice.
Dragons of Eden is another excellent choice. Broca's Brain is Sagan's love letter to the efforts of science in general. All of his work, really. None of his published works are duds.
I’m 58 and I want to go deeper into this man whom I’ve always been aware of but………I want more.
@@Saybleu I thoroughly suggest "The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Sagan. Weird to say but it almost feels spiritual reading it.
@@chrishumphries5201 noted. Thank you so much for the recommendation. I will check it out.🤙😊
Carl Sagan is a true thinker❤
He is a brilliant thinker on the Cosmos. I bought his book and still refer to it. But his knowledge of religion is juvenile.
@@jameshogan6142No way, his knowledge of religion is deep and wide. You're just pissed 'cos you're still trapped in a mind control cult.
Was!!!!
@jameshogan6142 exactly. He denied the originator of everything and became mesmerized by his creation!!! He was part of it, too
@@dvdortiz9031there is no creator
Carl Sagan definitely influenced and helped shape my beliefs. I miss him.😢❤
I'm sure other atheists reading this will congratulate Sagan for your indoctrination. You DO understand that your life is meaningless, don't you? And so was his.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Same. I've left several homages to him in my series of books. A few are super-hidden "Easter Eggs", while others are nearly direct quotes of his wisdom.
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
@@StacyDavenport-dn7kp then you need to update yr old knowledge imo .we are created by god is now proven science
@@Jack-fs2imI'm sure your computer told you this .
@@Robert-tj3qq I am an qualified expert in the history of astronomy,cosmoslogy and physics.NASA has revealed a great deal of supporting evidence along with other scientific bodies Stop believing pop science its just for entertainment.
Thank you Dr.Sagan for being an advocate of logical reasoning & showing us a different perspective of thinking.
Carl Sagan never had an original idea in his life.
@tessmage_tessera
@tessmage_tessera The only 2 things in my life that came easy to me were science and math. And I lament that it is so. I would have rather been good at something else.
I don't hate science. To say, " I hate science." Is like saying, "I hate screwdrivers." Science is just a tool. Science is interesting in the sense it can be fun to discover things. The other side of the story is that it is enabling we humans to produce wholesale death and wholesale pollution. This isn't theory. It can be observed.
Science comes from religion. My theory is that religion, and it could just about any of them, produces a hierarchy and a division of labor. The superstitious or believers, whatever you might call them, organize.
One needs engineers and managers to plan. They also need manpower to build their temples. The story of the Tower of Babel is in part about the difference between the way management and labor see things. The brain needs to connect with the hands. (One thing I like about religious stories is that they tax the imagination in a good way.)
I think religion is a tool for social organization, and without it there would be no civilization, and without civilization there can be no science.
Any tool can be made into a weapon. Religion can weaponize a population. It can produce an 'us versus them' mentality. The Church has a lot of blood on its hands.
Scientism is like a religion in that the people who adhere to it believe in unprovable propositions. They have their own creation story with evolution. They also have another creation story called the Big Bang. Both untestable and highly theoretical.
Kaiku, Tyson, and there was Carl Sagan before them, are (or were) promoters. They are selling an idea to the public. They are not about enlightenment. They are not working in the capacity of a scientist. They are about indoctrination.
Science is owned by the people who fund it. It will say what they want it to say. In the end what I see is that science hasn't really helped people be stronger or better. Outside of making the war machine stronger, I can't see where it has been good for anything.
Be careful about what you believe in. And even more careful about who you believe in.
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." George Bernard Shaw
Be well!
@@Seratan144 Is it true that the stories you were told by other people have evidence to validate them, or are they just stories? Your little serenade about "scientism" is hogwash. State your religious beliefs, and we'll go from there.
If he used logical reasoning he would know that if you place items on a globe they will fall off. If you place a map of the world on a level surface and place items on it they will remain there.
I can understand that religions exist
Observing the stars without knowing what they are is posing a lot of questions.
just remember that light pollution was not around just over 100 years ago.
I have seen the skies in moonless nights in the middle of oceans.
That is a thing a lot of people have never seen.
I look at it and am still in awe of it all.
I think Sagan was also in awe of it all.
It makes you feel humble.
We have solved a lot of questions.
Stars are just nuclear furnaces.
We just here because stars made the elements from simple hydrogen.
and were so kind to explode and spread it all around.
The rest is chemistry, luck and natural selection.
At least somebody got this comment
and was kind enough to leave a like.
It gives me hope in humanity.
And it's AWESOME, just as it is. No magical mystery required.
A month ago I went up into the mountains far away from any lights and what a view! Its unfortunate that so many might never get to see the stars the way they are.
What a beautiful soulful post. Carl would approve! Thank you for posting it.
@@patkennedy2620 Thank you for leaving a comment.
Carl Sagan is my Guru .MY views of the world change after watching his programe " The Cosmos"
I hope your not saying that litterally cause that is last thing hé would of wanted from you .
Cosmos, not the Cosmos
yes, Cosmos was spectacular!
@@sony5244 pop science
Love you to bits Carl Sagan . Wish I could of met you for a while and had a bit of a chat .
🙏🏼
Pascal’s Wager run backward is my new favorite thing.
@JORAX THORAX which god? The Christian god? What about the 2000 others? You’re taking a bet at 2000/1 and thinking you’ve beat the system you absolute tool 😂
@JORAX THORAX Luckily for you, there's no penalty for stupidity.
@joraxthorax2844 So you believe in Allah as if you don't you will not get to paradise.
Do you recognise that your claim says you worship a narcissist, amoral deity. You do not talk about being moral to be recognised by your deity just grovelling to him. That is all he is concerned about, the worship. A moral deity would be only interested in what you do not who you grovel to.
@joraxthorax2844 And you know that because the church that wants your weekly money told you so.
I have read the Bible I know that there are no morals to be found there, just control s for the gullible.
How to start a cult 101 - Get victims away from family and friend supports so they only have the cult.
Matthew 10:17-19
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
You have no evidence for your deity or against any of the other thousands, it is just your local one. You were born in a Christian area/family so that is the religion you got, in the same way as you chose a sports team.
@@chrisyoung5929As great stoic Marcus Aurelius says
A great God will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by.
What a brilliant communicator.
The important thing to understand is that religion is Man made. Cobbled together. Made up.
As are all “gods”.
An important thing to understand is that science has been taken over and man made to fit an agenda
@@flattieconvert4684
What's your evidence for this extraordinary claim?
What, you don't have any? It just seemed like a clever thing to say? You'd like it to be true, for some perverse reason of your own, so claiming it to be true is the next best thing?
Claims presented without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. Buh bye.
But the sense of the divine is not. If you can’t sense this then I truly feel sad for you🌺💕
Religion is like believing in Santa Claus. 🎅
Words of wisdom infinitely more profound than anything i can find in any religious book
He didn't answer the question. Just used a bunch of words to say nothing.
@@superdupertroy what question?
@@Tomas-mr8hy Did you watch the video? The question is asked in the first 10 seconds.
@@superdupertroyKind of like religion.
@@OswaldBatesIIIEsq I disagree. In my opinion, The Bible provides the most direct and concise explanation for anything you will encounter in this world and beyond. It does not rely on pseudo-intellectualism to obfuscate the question while not giving any real answer.
He was such a clear thinker... like Christopher Hitchens he's sorely missed... it's such a tragedy that both of these men were taken from humanity too early by cancer.
Thank God they have gone early so they can't mislead people anymore
Dead men that know now how wrong they were......
@@hectorhernandez215 Sad that you think such an inane comment influences anyone...
@@rhymereason3449 sad to say a reality that hurts someone.....
@hectorhernandez215 your right to have religious beliefs is respected, but you have no right to expect those beliefs to be respected.
I was lucky enough to see Carl Sagans documentary series Cosmos back in the 1980s as a teenager. What an amazing human being he is. Watching him on Cosmos was a privilege. Today I've got a copy of the Pale blue dot picture at home. Again what a man even thinking about taking that picture of us all. He was / remains a very intelligent person who was very human understanding that even today we as a species have achieved much but can go on learning hopefully before the negative side of human nature destroys everything and everyone.
The intelligent man believes in God, science confirms God!!!
@@dvdortiz9031wake up and smell the coffee
He nailed it when he said to withhold belief until we know something.
Religion is fundamentally dishonest. Claiming to know what, in fact, it doesn't know.
The honest position is to admit that there's lots of things we don't yet know. Dishonesty is inventing "god".
Bit like inventing a murderer. If a murder has taken place we assume a murderer committed it. Big assumption for which we have no proof.
There are different ways of " knowing ". And if you think that God is a dishonest invention then you must first define who or what God is ! THEN you can disprove his existence if you think that you know better.
Religion is not dishonest in any way by nature.Its how you practice religion that makes the difference between honesty and dishonesty.
True religion is about spirituality. And denying spirituality is a lack of perception.
@@irenehartlmayr8369 You're completely off track. I don't need to define something I don't believe in. It's up you to define what you do believe in and then show me the proof for it. Your "knowing" is nothing more than a fuzzy feeling inside, a hope, wishful thinking.
If I have to disprove god then we can each make up any belief we like. I can declare I have spirit unicorns in my back garden. I can't prove it but you can't disprove it either. Does that make me right?
By your argument, YOU also have to disprove all the other thousands of gods, and say why your god is the right god. You also have to disprove the belief in multiple gods like the Greeks, Romans and Vikings had
@@irenehartlmayr8369 Is that all? just "disprove god"? Are we talking about the biblical god, Yahweh, or one of the other 1,000 gods man has come up with?
Assuming YES, Yahweh, that's EASY:
1. No god can exist that is a LOGICAL CONTRADICTION. Therefore NO god can exist that can create an object even HE cannot move. It's why even Evangelicals have WISENED UP to no longer claim "All Powerful", and go with "all logically consistent Powers".
GOT IT?
2. Therefore, there, BY DEFINITION, cannot be an "ALL LOVING" god who ADVOCATES FOR THE OWNING OF HUMAN BEINGS AS PROPERTY which you can pass down to your CHILDREN.
NO. Biblical. GOD. Simply a LOGICAL CONTRADICTION of claims.
@@irenehartlmayr8369religion is dishonest by nature. when a uneducated christian/muslim/hindu/buddhist come along, that was brought up in "x" faith, when they do not have an answer to the big questions or the seemingly unexplainable; "God did it". Your son got fired today? Shiva is testing him. You got a promotion? God is blessing you. Apart from that, every religion is dishonest about the after life, especially christianity. Giving a false sense of hope, of seeing your loved ones if you commit your life to this religion and in the next life you'll be granted your virgins/heaven/nirvana/etc is the most dishonest thing there can be. Religion gives birth to all kinds of bias, hate, and manipulation.
Dr. Carl Sagan was a force of nature, a giant thinker whose intellect taught us how to think logically. RIP Sir!
Thinking "logically" does not in any way make your road to death easier. I mean. I wish it did. But your wishes that Carl "rest in peace" is meaningless. Why can't you atheists just face it? Your life has no meaning. Neither did Carl's. It's time for you to accept your "reality."
I know you will respond by charging: "Neither does religion help." OK, if you accept that, then there is NO point in your continued existence. Why not just face it. Don't hand us BS about "making your own meaning." In a meaningless universe, that too is utterly meaningless.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
@@davechavezjr5399 but now outdated imo
Carl Sagan influenced me greatly.
Cosmos was a masterpiece. It motivated me to actually be employed by 2 major Planetariums.
I was fortunate to both Lecture and Teach basic Astronomy for over a decade.
His insights, were brilliant. His style of analysis and imparting Science was masterful.
I was fortunate to have been exposed to him in the 1970’s, and use his example in my own humble efforts till the late 1980’s.
Religion and Science often would come up.
He explained the difference so well.
The world truly misses him today.
@@johnsmithson5376 Well Astronomy was invented by religion when mankind looked into the sky to find our origins and maths and geometry too by tracking orbits.
My biggest problem with all religion is its use of causality to invoke a creator, followed by its total denial of that same principle when we ask that inevitable next question...
It has to be like that otherwise the whole thing becomes a pyramid scheme.
Exactly. When I was a Christian I didn't know that and God had always just been but the universe couldn't have. There was much I had been distracted with and somehow never needed anything else until I pondered how many Muslims believed in Allah and how they must really believe in him because to kill yourself for god..... well ... shows your level of faith and once I realized that if they believed that much and we're so obviously wrong, then maybe I'm in the same boat and I've been fooled by the particular religion that I had been indoctrinated into. It was immediate after this. My conversion after 36 years of being sure and having faith. So there I was in prison and my whole world just flipped and I knew I could never ever ever be anything but 99.9999999......% atheist. It rocked me to the core and the feeling was alone but somehow at peace. The voices in my head.... those still small voices I'd always been told and believed were Jesus were now being returned to they're rightful owner. Me. The more sinister ones as well. It was such an experience to go through. I just snapped out of it and was damn lucky as well. Someone with my level of belief belief, Someone who claims an unshakable faith, rarely become free from the burden of religion. It took time to put Jesus in his place however. I loved him and it hurt to make him go away but after a few months of saying to myself, "fuck Jesus. Fuck Jesus." Everytime I thought of it, I was able to separate reality from delusion and it's been such a voyage now that I'm under no obligation to surrender my curiosity anymore. It was people like sagan and Tyson and hitchens and Dawkins and sam Harris and books like," what on earth happened" the history of the universe and the earth up until now, that I credit. Well and prison for first, sitting me down long enough to think and second causing me to wonder just how it was I ended up there with those fucking idiots. Not all but most.
This seems to reflect a contemporary understanding of the argument from causality that does not actually follow the classical formulation dating from Aristotle.
@@lancepernell4145 Congrats on your journey. You may also enjoy that this all is why Matt Dillahunty famously states (paraphrasing), "gods have no explanatory powers. You do not solve a mystery by appealing to another mystery, i.e. moving it back one layer".
That can be answered a lot quicker than how did everything render itself out of nothingness. Somehow 0+0 was more than 0.
If only we could bring Carl back, if just for 1 day. How much more we could understand that u are free to believe, but not to impose.
Such wisdom. Sadly missed. Forever remembered.
Never mind one day. Bring him back, digitise his mind, and have dozens of backups saved around the globe to make sure we don't lose him again!
Read Carl's Book "The Demon Haunted World", where he explains why everyone should learn critical thinking just as he does so we duplicate Carl's way of thinking in this world. That would make him very happy. After reading his book, my life changed! Strongly recommended! 👍
Sagan will be back after the second resurrection of the dead.
"many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" - Daniel 12:2
Agreed. Scientists are perfectly free to believe in the law of gravity but should not impose that belief on others.
@@timothykeith1367on that day, as all humankind. he will fall down on his knees and his tongue will confess that "Jesus is Lord"
An incredibly great man. My son is named after him. I really miss him in our lives.
Yes he is missed and that a good name Carl
Or Sagan. Whichever you picked for your son
I named my son Kosmo too
By far, Dr. Sagan is the most eloquent speaker I have heard on the topic of science vs religion--each time he does so with humility, humbleness, respect and without disparaging.
I just finished reading Cosmos & I’m obsessed with Sagan now lol. The way he speaks so genuinely & passionately about science is refreshing
My religion is science, my Jesus is Albert Einstein, my pastor is Carl Sagan.
And my best friend is Nikola Tesla.
No one has no religion. They either follow a prescribed religion or they make up their own. Sometimes their own religion is just worshiping themselves, nature, ambivalence, or principles as their god(s). Atheism is in itself a religion. Pretending something doesn't make it so.
@@namewithheld8704 , you are wrong and if you read the definition of atheism , you will understand . Atheism is not a religion and not everybody is religious . It is just in your mind this idea . I worship nothing , period. You need to read the worship definition too , you lack of words comprehension and i'm not a english speaker
@@namewithheld8704 no
@@namewithheld8704 "No one has no religion. They either follow a prescribed religion or they make up their own. Sometimes their own religion is just worshiping themselves, nature, ambivalence, or principles as their god(s). Atheism is in itself a religion. Pretending something doesn't make it so."
Or, you have no clue, and just make things up without any supporting evidence. I don't worship ANYTHING. Not ANY. THING.
First off, you seem MORE than fuzzy on the definitions, so let's try and FIX THAT:
WORSHIP:
NOUN: "the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a DEITY."
VERB: "show reverence and adoration for (a DEITY); honor with religious rites."
ATHEISM:
The REJECTION OF THE CLAIM THAT A GOD OR DEITY EXISTS.
Now, put on your big boy pants, and recognize the conflicting statements about DEITY in those two definitions.
If atheism is a "religion" then ABSTINENCE IS A SEXUAL POSITION, and BALD IS A HAIR COLOR.
Atheism has no tenets, commandments, morals, laws, judgments, decrees, hymns or poems. It is a SINGULAR THOUGHT TIED TO NONE OTHER:
The REJECTION of the claim that any god exists based on LACK OF RATIONAL OR SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO WARRANT BELIEF.
You showing your denial or ignorance is not evidence of ANYTHING other than that ignorance or denial. THERFORE, let me MOST HAPPILY GRANT YOUR FINAL STATEMENT in regards to your ignorance:
"Pretending something doesn't make it so."
The beauty of his mind is still something that leaves me near and in some cases in tears. I've used his explanation of the 4th dimension to teach others about just that. He was able to allow you to see in your mind a thing we are incapable of not just seeing but understanding. In less than 5 minutes you can experience the 4th dimension. Niw that is a beautiful mind.
*_"I don't know"_* is a VERY powerful position to take because it leads to investigation. Copping out on *_"A god must have done it"_* is a DEAD END! Why look for an answer if you think you already have it? That's what held us back for so many centuries. Religion's time is over, it's dead weight now.
The dark ages are called that for reason. Then came the Age of Enlightenment.
@@guitarplyr327 Yeah the Age of Enlightenment arrived IN SPITE of religion's efforts to stifle it.
Thanks for the empty threat. I KNOW how big the Sun is, I have a science degree (physics).
That's why when the Buy Bull says "stars will fall out of the sky" (Matthew 24:29, yeah I've read it), it's utter nonsense.
Why do you believe all that stuff?
@Shay Bozo You mean Pascal's Wager?
Why did you delete the comment I replied to?
@Shay Bozo I see you created this account today. REPORTED!!!
I have never seen anyone advocating for God's existence so lucidly as Sagan or Dawkins advocate for rationality.
I think you missed something. Actually you missed it all.
What did this person miss? I think maybe you misunderstood what they meant.
@bnz70 Yep, I think you right.
@@---Dana----... religion is a cult those that "believe" only view the world/universe in that scope you cannot reason with them they'll always find "god" in all discussions and debate. Carl was pretty clear that the infinite universe is hard for the "faithful" to fathom almost impossible from my perspective lifelong American Atheist ⚛️🙋🏼♂️🇺🇸
Yes. That’s because there is no rational argument for God. People wrote the Bible then said God wrote it through them. Evidence? None. That should be the end of the discussion. But many human’s were programmed as children, and their foundation is feelings and superstitions, not rationality. You can’t have a rational discussion with a person who has abandoned rationality.
Thanks you so much for sharing this, incredibly wise man, again it is a shame I didn't know about him before 😮💨😞
I'm 62 and I've come across some amazing people on TH-cam that have been dead for 50 years to a century and I'm just know reading or viewing videos on their incredible thoughts and views
He was so calm and measured. Just listening to his voice somehow gives me hope for the future.
Don't turn on the TV and you can keep that hope a while longer
Yeah good luck with that, he warned us his whole life but we covered our ears and no we will reap what we have shown.
A genius who does not exclude anything from being possible without claiming he knows all the answers. I only wish others thought this way instead of insisting they know and expect the rest of us to see it the same way.
Carl Sagan knew better than to believe in a deity. he couldn't be the great scientist that he was if he believed in a deity. he was much more intelligent than that.
he was a great inspiration to me.
Paschal did believe in a deity. He is still remembered centuries later. Time will tell if history is as kind to Sagan.
@@jameshogan6142 History has already shown to not be so kind to Carl Sagan. by the simple fact that people didn't heed his warnings. that we needed to be more conscious as human being's. to each other and to the future of this planet, and that is unfortunate. but he was still correct and one of the greatest minds we have had in recent history.
In what way was he correct? If people believe that this world is the only one they will seek to gain as much pleasure from it as they possibly can? Foreign air holidays, SUVs, Holiday homes abroad, etc. Meanwhile there are Christians observing Lenten fast, no meat on Fridays, sharing their wealth with the poor, living lives of temperance in imitation of Christ who lived lightly upon the earth.@@musicauthority674
Many of the most brilliant scientists of all time were deists.
@@musicauthority674you said it well
I could listen to him all day long!
He had a nice voice. I read his book: The Demon Haunted World. It was one of the most depressing books I have ever read. I would recommend against giving it as a gift to anyone with chronic depression. That is, unless you just want to kill them.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
@@sanjosemike3137 Whereas I absolutely could not put it down and recommend it every chance I can. It was one of the most enlightening books a person can read and learn from.
@@Tiredofitall. It is true that the ancient church used various subterfuges in order to kill families and steal their resources. And that this does not represent a very "favorable" view toward ancient Christianity.
I acknowledge this. Modern atheistic Communism does not fare very well either. it's pity that Carl never talked about THAT.
If you want to do a specific body count, Communism turns out far worse.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
I have been blessed in this lifetime to meet some truly Great People. Dr. Carl Sagan was one of them. His pragmatic, logical approach to ideas ranks right up there with the Finest Thinkers of Our Time. May he rest in Peace.
My argument against religion, ME… in what insane world would god allow me a veteran of 2008 to come out only to see EVERY single friend I had die. Come home. Become a junkie, 8 years on the streets, then WAY WAY WAY more friends die. All except a few. Probably about 50 on drugs, and 5 in the war. 5 seemed alot at the time. Many more wounded. I’m sitting here detoxing off alchohol. I know what’s ahead in the future. We’re going extinct. Global warming, and the rise of global fascism are going to wipe us out. Unless we’re saved by the youth of this country and money is taken out of politics. But with all that, and the im grateful to be alive. I just am rational considering my health at this point. All I can think of is waking up to a beautiful bottle of whiskey. I’m haunted not by real ghosts like my girlfriend thinks. But by reality. God has time for me? No capitalism is god here in the land of the free. Capitalism doesn’t give two shits if I live or die. Except if they earn one more penny off my life. That’s a net gain. Fascism is rearing its ugly head in 2023, I’m 40 now and they’re burning Harry Potter books in Tennessee. We’re fucked. Shaking and sweating, I’m out of my mind. But future you, have a great day, go fuck yourself. Venting
Hey man you have a bad attitude 🤣 you sound like me,but at ,least you have a girlfriend that hopefully cares about you. Sorry life has been so fucked up for you..I'm 62 living in chronic pain now from two back fusions so it can always get worse. Take care and get off the whiskey
All very good points. Sorry to hear life has been so hard on you. Unfortunately, I really don’t see any good changes happening anytime soon in the good ole USA. However, for yourself and your girlfriend your best bet would be to go to AA and either volunteer or work with youth and veterans about your experience. I think you would have a lot to offer. Otherwise, you will just end up wasting the short time you have left on this planet.
Good luck to you.
It's such a pity that science has not yet discovered a way of making us all live for eternity. Poor old Carl snuffed it at the relatively early age of 62.
@@jameshogan6142Living for eternity sounds a bit like a curse, unless you somehow take off all of the human needs.
@@ZeYoX-mw7sh Even in the New Testament, there is recognized a vast difference between the quality of biological life and spiritual life.
The fact that some people need to believe that a God created the universe is a mystery to me. I have no need of a God and no need to believe that a God exists. There is no evidence of a God anywhere.
Then I suggest you read a little philosophy, starting with Aristotle's Physics.
Ignore that comment 👇. Your good and on the right track bro
OK, that's fine. But it is time for you to face up to your atheism. Your life is meaningless. So was Carls. Quit putting a band aid on it. Don't give us that BS about "creating your own meaning." That is a tautism. In a meaningless Universe, there IS no meaning. Even the stuff you "create" for yourself.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Yet he believed there should be alien civilizations so far beyond ours that they could have the power of gods. Is that not the same thing as believing in gods?
@hilairebelloc3368 I don't need to read Aristotle's Physics. I stand by my comment. There is no evidence that a God exists.
Such a loss to humanity, taken far too soon. His Cosmos series was ground breaking and mesmerising.
Where did he go?
Good question! Nobody knows for sure what happens when we pass on.@@jdos5643
@@jdos5643he passed away from cancer in 1996, at age 62.
@@Engineer_Heathen my question was where did he go?
@@Engineer_Heathen Cancer: a modern disease enabled by modern technology. p-fas anyone? Lingering death: yet another 'gift' from the world of science.
To Carl Sagan, thanks for your contribution to mankind.
What did he do?... Regurgitating information already known and debated centuries before him?
He had a wonderful speaking voice and was a good actor. I am not diminishing those attributes. But that does not make him a "seer" to provide you with the meaning of life.
But he was nice to listen to.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
A brilliant and kind man who I always felt was the Mr. Rogers of the scientific community.
Carl Sagan was absolutely brilliant. when he said "I don't pretend to know the answers to these questions and that we simply have to keep an open mind". it made everything that he previously said absolutely correct. the fact that he knew as human beings that we could find the answers to these questions? providing that we keep an open mind showed how brilliant he was. and made him such an inspiration to me. he is definitely missed.
In other words he was as uninformed as the rest of us. An open mind like an open mouth should not remain open forever but should bite on or say something.
I think there's a misquote at 9:45. It sounds like Carl is saying "... the universe devoid of ..." rather than "... the universe the void of ...". Irrespective, still a thought provoking video featuring one of the great pioneers who brought the wonders of scientific discovery to the general public in an exiting and consumable format.
why are all athiest concerned with the same thing, grammer and punctaion.......
@@sagesmith7728 🤣🤣🤣 It's actually "atheist", not "athiest". But no, I don't view myself to be an atheist; rather an agnostic. I know I'm terribly pedantic when it comes to grammar. I blame it on my mother. Worst of all, English isn't even my home language! My mother tongue is Afrikaans.
@@sagesmith7728 It's "grammar," not"grammer."
@@tomjacobson7623 its a metaphore for stupedity...............................
@sagesmith7728
*atheists, *grammar, *punctuation
I just love listening Carl Sagan. I wish i had a teacher like him.
Go to school. Nothing he has said is new.
He had a hypnotic voice. He was an excellent hypnotist. But he was just an ordinary atheist. There are lots of them in colleges and universities.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
He was too concerned with not hurting peoples feelings...he should have pushed back much harder when answering these questions 😑
If you listen to what he says, I think he put it perfectly. Sagan was a teacher first. He spoke to teach, not to put anyone down. I think he de converted more religious people with his way of explaining things & expressing his beliefs in an intellectual way
"Cosmology brings us face to face with the deepest mystery".
Something started it all up. Despite the fact that Carl had a nice voice, he did NOT start it up.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Carl Sagan and Christopher Hitchens !
Both Giants in Reason and Science vs. Theocracy!
We Need You !
Most likely they'll be burning in Hell for eternity!
@@bobboscarato1313 no reason to think that’s true.
Move along now, little one.
Carl said that one day we will go to the stars. I bet they are as hot as hell. @@bobboscarato1313
@@bobboscarato1313 I guess youre God to judge.
@@ZeYoX-mw7sh No; I just pray to God for guidance!
I do love the lightning rods on church spires, do they have NO faith in their guy?
Well that invisible man in the sky works in mysterious ways.
A church in the neighborhood had it's spire taken down by lightning once and twice by tornadoes
Read the parable of the wise man who built his house on rock which was told by Jesus in the Gospels. The storms came and shook it but it stood because it was built on rock not sand.
That made me laugh so hard we have a church in Mississippi it got hit by lightning and a year a tornado ripp the whole entire spire off
@@jameshogan6142 Not my favorite passage, not by a longshot.
Leviticus 25:44-46
King James Version
44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.
NOW, THAT'S MY FAVORITE, as in a few paragraphs it demonstrates the bible and Christianity is man made up, like all the other mythologies, including those it was BASED UPON with their OWN virgin births, resurrections, disciples and betrayal... As they say, nothing new under the Sun.
Miss this guy!!
Since humanity is in the business of making Gods, I pray to Carl Sagan.
God is mankind's greatest invention!
@@robertevans1486 Greatest in what way?
@@weatherlou It was sarcasm.
Your mind is full of cardos!!!
@@weatherlouI get it now and deleted my stupid comments. I love Carl Sagan and everything he stood for.
Who could possibly fill this great mans shoes?
We sorely need another "Sagan"
He was what he was. Irreplacable? Surely not. We need to move on
I learned of Carl Sagan only in the last 10 years. I have listened to him on countless videos. He has had a profound impact on me, even far after his death. I think he would be pleasantly surprised to hear this. To know that he has an affect on people's lives even after he's gone.
@@inertiaforce7846 I'm glad to hear that, totally agree, and totally respect your position. Still it is reasonable to assume that there will come others who will convey the same degree of wisdom and inspiration.
And another Christopher Hitchens !
Anyone could fill this mans shoes with whatever nasty material they chose.
My first introduction to Carl Sagan was watching Cosmos as a kid on tv in the '80s.. Outstanding human being with that special ability to share knowledge..
I still have The Pale Blue Dot monologue framed & hanging on my living room wall
Carl Sagan was a brilliant scientist that I have always enjoyed listening to.
He was the master at this topic. So measured and delicate, non-offensive, and correct. Atheism and deism's best ambassador.
He was a master of his science. I still have his cosmos book but he knows very little about religion.
@@jameshogan6142 He knows all he needs to know: it's backwards belief based on nothing but the telephone game. But I'd say he was quite fluent in the major religions.
I'd say that my local pastor who knows plenty about religion is probably quite as fluent in cosmology as Sagan.@@A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid
@@jameshogan6142 I'd have to call bs on that. Unless your pastor has a masters. You don't need one in the telephone game...
And that's the last I'll crap on your beliefs. But cmon people study half a lifetime to know what Sagan knew. I think it's more accurate to say your pastor has a natural curiosity just as Sagan did, which leads them to study the other stuff as well.
It certainly was tongue in cheek. The cobbler should stick to his last. I am very interested in what Sagan has to say on science but religion is not his field. Similarly I heed my pastors spiritual advice but consult an astronomer if I want to know about the milky way. @@A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid
U r missed professor sagan. A voice like yours is much needed in this lost and criminaly ruled world
Oh, if only Carl Sagan was alive today and saw what Web and Hubble are showing us now. He died in 1996 when knowledge was scarce. When I was a young child as was he, Jupiter had but, nine moons, or at least, that's what was thought at the time. The things we know now
Agree with his views or not, the world is worse off without his gentle wisdom.
Absolute genius. It's devasting that he is no longer here.
4:30 Religion does not exclusively or even predominantly teach POSITIVE morals or human interaction. Anyone who says/believes that is not READING THE BIBLE, or blindly regurgitating what a pastor or parents say.
I agree. Ive been rereading the Bible (from the beginning) with my kid, and this thing is nuts!!! 😂 It was almost laughable until halfway through Deuteronomy and Leviticus. We went on though, until it just got down right uncomfortable in 2nd Samuel. My son asked if we could just skip to the part where Jesus comes in 😂
He sees how absolutely ridiculous it would be for anyone today to still believe, let alone follow anything from it.
A bad person does bad deeds, but it takes religion to convince good people to do bad deeds.
@@freddan6fly nah, not religion, just a complete reconditioning of your value system and world belief. Oh wait, that is religion 😂
Holy Book "cherry pickers" they are called. They ignorantly miss the horrors of the Bible: banishment, threat of death, incitement to filicide, genocide, genital mutilation, fire storming of two whole cities, Noachal Flood global ecocide, fostering of misogyny, homophobia, blood sacrifice of animals and humans, slavery, etc.
@@elibella5660Bible school for children is emotional child abuse.
Truth: This humble nerd has had a far more profound influence on my character, values, and ideas than any religious figure and its not remotely close. To avoid debate, I will grant ahead of time, that I am talking about my conscious experience, not some phenomenon beyond my awareness.
Carl Sagan chose to work in town that has a waterfall named Lucifer falls and a university that has the largest collection of witchcraft in the world
10 minutes of sagan indirectly gives you all the answers to life and existence
Truly empty lives!
@@bobboscarato1313yes believers in gods.
@@FYMASMD To each their own!
But he still died. And rather young. I don't know where your answers are. Please tell me.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Hail Sagan! 🤘😝🤘
Hail velakovski! Sagan bagged him but now velakovski findings are being taken seriously and proven.what does that say about Sagan? A theorist calculating guessing! Sagan is full of ........ Period proven!
Bro is worshipping a dead jew 💀
How beautifully put.
I like the mindset and of Ex-Christians. They finally confess what they been told to believe is false. 'Hey, this story of creation, the flood, Jesus, Hell, Sin... does NOT make sense even to me. Things are not adding up...' Then when you look at how other Christians live and act. It's easy to make a decision to leave the belief of the stories I been led to believe. I no longer believe in the Bible story and God. Yet their are many questions I still have. My spirituality remains because of these questions that can't be answered by Science either. That is my journey till my last breath. I don't know why or understood the things I have witnessed and observed. It's Science that will best answer my questions, not religion. For everything we see, witness and observe is of Science. Science needs to keep an open mind to possibilities and not keep their minds closed and rigid like religion. That would be a waste of perfect space.
That's what science is known for the answers are never closed but rather beg for additional answers meaning our understanding is more complete
We will never know until we make that final journey.
Reminds me of one of the briefest talks I ever had with someone about god. He asked me if I believe in it, and I asked what exactly he meant by the word. He was flustered and impatiently said "It's god." Almost as if to say "duh!" to me in addition. But still, no clear definition. We weren't able to progress past that point. But *why* was he so flustered? Why couldn't he answer my question?
I observe that most persons of faith don't really think enough about that very thing. What is it, *exactly* that you're believing in? This happens, it seems, because people are raised in a mindset of not questioning, even enough to understand what it is they're faithfully accepting. It is the difference between a person or group truly understanding something like an idea, or else, that person or group collectively and silently agreeing to all not understand or to misunderstand in the same way. When that latter condition happens, it can seem to them just exactly like understanding. But the way you tell it's not, I think, is just by asking basic but specific questions like these. What does the word mean, not to me, but to *you,* because we're talking about *your* ideas and beliefs, not mine, at least not yet.
Just ask them, and insist upon clear answers to, basic questions like "What does that mean? Do you mean what's sometimes called a '3 - O Creator?' Do you mean the god of christianity?" And then follow up with "Why *that* one and not one of the infinite, incompatible alternatives?" This will show the crucial difference between ideas from Reason as opposed to tradition and / or faith. The "why?" aspect of their being selected, as opposed to others, is largely culturally-based. That difference in standards of selection is at the heart of why Reason and its progeny, the Sciences, are most definitely *not* religion. They do not hail from just parentage or national culture. They are based on Reason Simpliciter.
It's like i've always said: The Bible is not quite "mythology". The Bible is actually just a "history book". Poorly written and sloppily recorded, with missing gaps, but a history book none the less. That's all it really is. As for the "religious" part : It's just full of people's observations, misinterpretation of what they THOUGHT they saw. It's not for me to say God isn't real, but that book was written by people.
A bolt of lightning didn't strike down from the sky and when the smoke cleared, this book appeared. No voice from above said "This is my book. Read it and follow it."
Not only that, a lot of it was later put together - and added to - by old men scheming ways to control the masses through published writing (using God as a basis). The additions they wrote were what they saw in dreams or while using drugs, and thought the amazing visions they had were so incredible, they must have come from God. Then they'd pick and choose which particular texts to include.
The bible is a mix of mythology and historic fiction. Why even give the label of "history" to stories about talking serpents and donkeys, a floating zoo of EVERY animal, a man living inside a fish, zombies arising from tombs and walking through towns, rules written by a deity on stone tablets, a woman turning into salt, or any of those fairy tales?
i see your point. But like you said yourself... historic fiction. In their personal experiences, those people thought those things really happened as described.
@@drewidrie2396 Sadly, there are millions of people who still believe these fairy tales today.
Amazing, isn't it? But it's the only way "religion" can work. They need their followers to not question those silly stories... but just believe and accept them.
Sounds like somebody needs to read some modern biblical criticism...
I love this man
The most elegant of mic drops... No showboating or dunking, just rational, logical, deliberate consideration of possibilities of what could be the truth.
Religion answers nothing!
It (Christianity) answers the biggest question of all. In a hundred years you won’t care about Carl Sagan.
You can't provide one iota of evidence so you just make an unsupported claim that it answers while miserably failing to prove that any of its "answers" are true.
@@roberthill799 Yes, there is a mountain of evidence. There are over a dozen mathematical constants that have to a be so precise for life to exist. So there’s your evidence. I think it’s silly to believe that we are all here by just random chance.
Depends on what question you are asking. If it is science ask Sagan. If it is religion ask a theologian.
@@jameshogan6142 Scientists can be wrong about science and theologians can be wrong about religion.
The kicker that gets me is that universitys and centers of higher learning were started by religious scholars trying to figure out how their so called God created things and how he makes them work so its a hard pill to swallow but religion helped build the foundation of our scientific research as a species
And then they abandoned science. Oh well.🙄
Correct. Religion was the first science. Science runs away religion like humans dismiss evolution. Truth
That is not true. The dark ages occurred in Europe when the people abandoned religious faith. The Renaissance brought a revival of classical learning and much of it was evidenced in the religious themed art of Michelangelo, Da, Vinci, Raphael, etc. @@FYMASMD
Hogwash! The Europeans of the dark ages were absolutely crushed and oppressed by the superstitious dogma and evil clergy of Christianity.
Interesting how people like to insult one another. Sports, politics, beliefs, etc. We all have our perspectives. I see this I like Carl's humility that he doesn't say he has all the answers but believes in what he can verify or what's his conclusion is based on that evidence, but has the flexibility to know that with additional information that conclusion may change. Wishing you the best.
Fact: soon there will be a ground-based telescope called The Carl Sagan Observatory. You can research it. He fully deserves it.
the interviewer in the first section is desperately trying to justify his belief, which unfortunately is how most devout think.
@JORAX THORAX
if someone or something ever proves to you that your particular god doesn’t exist, you’d be sh!tin’ your pants. simple.
@joraxthorax2844it is pure desperation to have a palliative to the fear of death, and to have a divine excuse or mandate to feel superior to everyone else.
"It is not an aid to truth."
How beautifully you summed it up Mr Sagan, that's exactly how I think about the whole concept of God. It doesn't matter if God exists or not, it doesn't help us in any way to reach the truths lf nature.
wonderful
You don’t have to look any further than what happened to Galileo to see how religion responds to valid questions and criticisms.
I always watch Carl. His clear voice and intelligent conversations / explanations are satisfying and interesting.
This man was treasure to humanity
How so? Because he had a nice voice? Because he created nice videos? Please tell me how indoctrinating tens of thousands to welcome atheism is a "treasure?" I know you will say that "religion is just an invention of humans and there is no proof for any of it." I was an atheist. I can spout out their talking points at least as well as Sagan.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
@@sanjosemike3137 He contributed so much to the science. And all you care about is religion. No wonder this cuntry is going to hell. Lack of educated people with archaic mind sets.
I’m with Carl on how he asked that kid’s question…
Religion is the last weapon of the incapable. I grew up watching Cosmos, Sagan was truly one of a kind.
Scientists come and go but the Cosmos remains. It seems to be eternal and infinite.
The question is not whether God exists, is made up or has evolved in a Homeric theodicy (play on words). That question elicits tribal responses from both sides. This is not helpful. Instead, inquire into what a God must be and not be, both from philosophic and evolutionary perspectives.
For God to be useful, It must be humble - absolutely so. It would have no needs, especially not of worship. It could not be bribed and must be loving and accepting. It has no personal stake in our moral behavior. Any God-given morality must be entirely for the benefit of the individual and the species as a whole. Moral teaching and religious belief inconsistent with that axiom must be regarded as tribal, not universal. Such a concept is useful for both theists and brights to hold. Doing so leads to compassion, since individual moral behavior must become other-centered. This leads to an experience of joy. Whether this is due to a God or a nice evolutionary trick is unimportant (and tribalist).
I'll accept that.
Works for me. Well written.
There was a time when i had so much fear pumped into me and now i feel very clear to think for myself. And i say that its a fact that we have thousands of gods on planet earth 🌎... so Choose one
Bit like science. Lots of scientists but how to choose which one to believe.
@@jameshogan6142 exactly
Seriously. Scientists telling us the earth is burning up because of global warming. Others that is it is just cyclic warming and heating. Yet more telling us it is due to the sun giving off more energy. Sagan himself wrote in his book Cosmos that the sun would one day become a red giant and consume the earth. Perhaps this is happening now and all the windmills and solar panels in the world will not change that. @@blackthought6133
@@jameshogan6142 Are you really comparing facts with opinions?
I am not claiming the scientists opinions are facts. Sagan's proposition that the sun will one day become a red giant is at best a prediction.@@ZeYoX-mw7sh
🙇♀️ always grateful
Creationists always ask "How can something come from nothing". I don't know anyone claiming something came from nothing EXCEPT creationists. God made all this...out of what? Apparently nothing
So explain how a molecule can appear from nothing and develop an inherent drive to produce the incredible life on this planet. Dawkins certainly can't explain that. You perhaps?
@@tomashultgren4117Just because someone can’t explain something…. “God must have done it”
Sorry, not good enough. Science may not know yet but you sure as shit don’t know either.
I haven't mentioned "God" - have I?
I haven't claimed that I know - have I?
The simple truth is that no one knows, and that's where we are.@@jasonpalmer2664
@@tomashultgren4117Apparently you didn't comprehend what he just said. He just said nowhere does anybody claim that something came from nothing.
Your response to his statement is "so then how did the molecule come from nothing"?
Your response indicates a reading comprehension problem.
He said: "nowhere does anybody claim that something came from nothing EXCEPT creationists". That is not true. Many scientists, most famously perhaps Lawrence Krauss, backed by Richard Dawkins, who both claim that the universe came from nothing. They are scientists, not creationists.@@inertiaforce7846
A god does not equal a purpose.
Nonsense. This reflects a deficient understanding of the nature of God as it has been explained in classical philosophy.
The thoughtfulness with which he always spoke is the thing that always gets me.
Christians just believe wheras Atheists actually think
You are so far off. You have to think before you believe.
@@Shaqoneil81-ci7dr To be more concise, I meant to say that Christians just believe everything in the story book called the Bible. If you believe in Talking Serpents and talking donkeys then you need mental health
@Shaqoneil81-ci7dr
😂 And then believe a bunch of nonsense that others thought up for you!
@@roberthill799 Yes, I do. We all believe things that others thought up.
@@Shaqoneil81-ci7dr The main difference is that you can actually replicate and prove for yourself that those "beliefs" are true. However, in religion its just supernatural garbage.
This is so a humble and honest assessment, that nobody knows what is beyond the universe. But the clown theologians say they already figured it out using an ancient book written by ignorant men. So where is the theologian receiving the Nobel Prize for figuring out the origins of this universe? Have not heard a news yet...
there have been many thousands of gods proposed by humans over time in hundreds of different languages and in hundreds of different countries.there is not and never has been the slightest evidence that any of them are real.
@@clarkelaidlaw1678 Really dumb statement, especially because it confuses "gods" and the God of classical theism.
Looks like somebody's ignorant of both theology and modern biblical criticism.
@@hilairebelloc3368 .as soon a God is demonstrated to be true I will of course believe it.i live my life trying to believe as many true things and as few false things as I can..I hope that you and your family are well and have a great 2024.
@@clarkelaidlaw1678 Same to you. That does not, however, change the force of my statement about the existence of God. Sagan's "invisible dragon" argument, for example, misunderstands the question so badly that it's a wonder he's taken seriously as an authority on the subject of religion.
It’s the time factor we find so hard to understand. It’s literally unimaginable! And a closed mind is a stagnant pond. Must be OPEN minds. He speaks so gently. Bravo! Great man
Throughout my life I’ve always been amazed by the otherwise intelligent people I’ve known that for whatever reason buy into religion. I completely understand children believing in monsters under the bed devils Santa and all sorts of things but grown adults believing that if they tell some guy what they do wrong and pay him 10% they will love in paradise for all of eternity is beyond me.
If you have a view of religion that sees it on the level of children's fairytales, then your confusion is unsurprising.
@@hilairebelloc3368 I see religion for what it is but I don’t understand people lining up for it.
@@darylb5564 If you don't understand why people line up for it, then I suggest you don't, in fact, see religion for what it is.
@@darylb5564 There’s a sucker born every minute, and loads of people’s who don’t think critically.
I completely agree!!!!!
Ah, this is deeply deeply deep!
9:23