Sagan was known as an honest atheist because he proclaimed that life is ultimately meaningless upon contemplating the vastness of the universe.
2007-03-23 12:32:58 · 14 answers · asked by kurtveritas 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Sagan was interviewed on Ted Koppel's TV program "Nightline" before he passed away. Asked if he had any closing remarks or words of wisdom he would like to share, he responded:
"We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy which is one of billions of other galaxies which make up a universe which may be one of a very large number, perhaps an infinite number, of other universes. That is a perspective on human life and our culture that is well worth pondering."
Kind of sad.
2007-03-23 13:53:43 · answer #1 · answered by Ask Mr. Religion 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Carl Sagan was a truly wonderful and gifted man. I do not, however, when someone mentions Carl think...oh yes Carl the honest atheist, lololol.
What Carl experienced as he contemplated the vastness of the universe is what I experience the first time I stood of the shore of the ocean...we just came to different conclusions about what that vastness represented. Thank you Carl for all you gave us.
The Skeptical Christian
Jesus Principle Online
Grace and Peace
Peg
2007-03-23 12:38:08 · answer #2 · answered by Dust in the Wind 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is very dishonest to proclaim that life is meaningless, even if you don't believe in a higher being.
So I would not call Carl Sagan an honest anything.
On a separate note, I once had a science teacher who got herself fired for making snide remarks in class (like "Carl Pagan"). I laughed about it for a long time until I learned more about it and realized she was closer to the truth about stuff than I originally thought.
2007-03-23 12:39:13 · answer #3 · answered by tertiahibernica 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
What he said is true. Our lives have little meaning in the great vastness of the universe. We give them meaning to each other, even then, in the expanse of human history, there are only a few lives that had meaning. That does not mean that what we do shouldn't matter to us, though many think that. We do need to accept that thousands of years from now, even world leaders will lose their significance. We only truly have eternal life in the hearts and minds of the other people we touch. I have a lot of meaning to my kids, and my husband and as a daughter and friend. It may mean nothing to you, having never met me. But the meaning my life has through the connections that I have made, is just as real as the countless stars.
2007-03-23 12:47:05 · answer #4 · answered by Momofthreeboys 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I am willing to believe he was honest in his answer, however his lack of intelligence is obviously a factor.
I would ask him, "while you were contemplating the vastness of the universe, did you take the time to contemplate the vastness of yourself? Your place in the universe? And the overall meaning that this has upon your life?"
2007-03-23 12:39:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I myself think that our afterlife is something on a scale that we cannot even perceive now and that our mythologies only take imaginative stabs at . . . I like to think that Carl is having blast observing firsthand the secrets behind the universe that he so richly appreciated and dreamed.
I miss his voice too, and his direction, and fear that with the bashing science and science education has been taking in this country, we won't have enough Carl's to keep us reaching for the stars, both figuratively and imaginatively.
2007-03-23 12:42:54 · answer #6 · answered by SWMynx 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Naw. He just stopped short on his philosophy.
Nothing has any meaning but what we give it. If it means something to you, it has meaning. If it doesn't, it doesn't.
There's a lovely scene in the Last Unicorn (the book, not the movie) where the Unicorn, who is an immortal being that is the most beautiful creature in all existance, scorns the beauty of a flower. She asks, "how can anything mortal be beautiful?"
And the magician answers, "It is beautiful *because* it is mortal." Meaning, that which is fleeting, is most precious.
2007-03-23 12:38:44 · answer #7 · answered by KC 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Can you give a quote of him using those exact words? Most atheists see the universe as extremely meaningful.
2007-03-23 12:36:16 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Meaning is Personal and Life is a Journey if you miss it waiting for some final destination you will miss the entire point.
2007-03-23 12:37:22 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
correct
But my favorite quote of his (as an atheist) is, "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is, than to persist in delusion".
And he was talking about LIFE IN GENERAL, not PERSONAL LIFE. He means that life itself is meaningless considering the vastness of the universe and its complete inability to affect the universe around it. he was NOT talking about an INDIVIDUAL'S life.
2007-03-23 12:35:39 · answer #10 · answered by ? 6 · 6⤊ 2⤋