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Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Book by Carl Sagan · 9 quotes · Pale Blue Dot, Science, Earth

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Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space Quotes

“It might be a familiar progression, transpiring on many worlds—a planet, newly formed, placidly revolves around its star; life slowly forms; a kaleidoscopic procession of creatures evolves; intelligence emerges which, at least up to a point, confers enormous survival value; and then technology is invented. It dawns on them that there are such things as laws of Nature, that these laws can be revealed by experiment, and that knowledge of these laws can be made both to save and to take lives, both on unprecedented scales. Science, they recognize, grants immense powers. In a flash, they create world-altering contrivances. Some planetary civilizations see their way through, place limits on what may and what must not be done, and safely pass through the time of perils. Others, not so lucky or so prudent, perish.”

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“But amid much elegance and precision, the details of life and the Universe also exhibit haphazard, jury-rigged arrangements and much poor planning. What shall we make of this: an edifice abandoned early in construction by the architect?”

UniversePoorAtheismDetailsPositive AtheismPlanningAbandonedConstructionArchitectArrangementsEleganceJuryExhibitsPrecisionEdificeRiggedHaphazardPoor PlanningDetails Of Life
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“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.”

ThinkingEarthUniverseCompassionBloodStageHumilityMastersGloryRiversHatredCornersEndlessCrueltyTriumphCosmosCosmicPaleMisunderstandingArenaEmperorFractionsDotsMomentaryVastnessFerventCosmic ConsciousnessPale Blue DotAcross The UniverseAstronomy And UniversePixels
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“A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later such a religion will emerge.”

MightAbleScienceSpiritReligionSpiritualityUniverseAtheismModernDrawsAweReverenceConventionalReservesSooner Or LaterStressedAgnosticismModern ScienceOrganized ReligionMagnificencePantheismPale Blue DotAstronomy And Universe
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“We've tended in our cosmologies to make things familiar. Despite all our best efforts, we've not been very inventive. In the West, Heaven is placid and fluffy, and Hell is like the inside of a volcano. In many stories, both realms are governed by dominance hierarchies headed by gods or devils. Monotheists talked about the king of kings. In every culture we imagined something like our own political system running the Universe. Few found the similarity suspicious.”

StoriesRunningPoliticalCultureUniverseFoundHeavenEffortHellKingsDevilWestFamiliarDespiteRealmsHierarchySuspiciousSimilarityPolitical SystemsCosmologyDominanceVolcanoesBest EffortFluffyPlacid
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