Carl Sagan
Astronomer and science communicator who popularised the demand for solid evidence for extraordinary claims.
Life
Carl Sagan (1934-1996), an American astronomer and science communicator, took part in NASA space missions and in research on the atmosphere of Venus and on life on Mars. With the series Cosmos (1980) he brought astronomy to hundreds of millions of viewers. He defended sceptical, scientific thinking against pseudoscience and addressed the big questions about our place in the universe.
Main works
An account of the history of the universe and of how humanity has explored it.
A reflection on Earth's tiny place in the cosmos and on the future of our species.
A defence of science and critical thinking against superstition and pseudoscience.
In his own words
« For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. »
« If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits? »
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceHe called himself agnostic, saying he knew of no compelling evidence either way, and rejected a God watching from the sky.
Sagan, The Varieties of Scientific Experience (2006)
He insists that claims be tested against evidence and that extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence.
Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World (1995)
Science is a self-correcting method and its results stay open to revision, so no claim is beyond doubt.
Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World (1995)
What we call mind is the working of the brain; there is no separate soul.
Sagan, The Dragons of Eden (1977)
Beliefs, religious ones included, should be held in proportion to the evidence.
Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World (1995)
No cosmic purpose is given; the meaning of our small world is one we make, by caring for it and for each other.
Sagan, Pale Blue Dot (1994)