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wisdom from old Carl Sagan book
Message #1 Posted by Don Shepherd on 8 Apr 2011, 3:19 a.m.

Here is a brief excerpt from an old Carl Sagan book from 1973 that I think we all can appreciate. I especially like his comment about if kids can survive twelve years of regimented education. I think it is probably as true today as it was in 1973: kids are smarter than we generally believe.

      
Re: wisdom from old Carl Sagan book
Message #2 Posted by Mike Morrow on 8 Apr 2011, 10:27 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Don Shepherd

Sagan wrote two of my favorite books, "Broca's Brain" and "The Demon-Haunted World". "Cosmos" is still, 31 years after first appearance, THE best popular science series of all time.

Sagan wishes in the article that the students will grow up fast and start running things. Those students today are 44 years old. Just how well did that work out? :-(

            
Re: wisdom from old Carl Sagan book
Message #3 Posted by Namir on 8 Apr 2011, 12:35 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Mike Morrow

Indeed his TV shows is awesome. About 10 years ago I bought the DVD set and watched a few DVD. I need to go back and watch the whole series.

I also remember when Sagan would be a guest of Johny Carson on the Tonight Show. Johny would make fun of Sagan's use of the world "billion" in reporting the typical number of stars in a galaxy and the number of galaxies. As the years went by and I started buying Cosmos-related DVDs, I realized that Sagan was not exaggerating. Perhaps the only number he left out is the billions of universes that may well exist in the big, mighty, and mind-boggling multiverse.

Namir

Edited: 8 Apr 2011, 12:51 p.m.

            
Re: wisdom from old Carl Sagan book
Message #4 Posted by bill platt on 8 Apr 2011, 10:29 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Mike Morrow

Quote:
Sagan wishes in the article that the students will grow up fast and start running things. Those students today are 44 years old. Just how well did that work out? :-(

Give us another 10 years--we are still in "middle management" :-)

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