I can find in my undergraduate classes, bright students who do not know that the stars rise and set at night, or even that the Sun is a star.
Meaning of the quote
It can be surprising that some bright students in college may not know basic facts about the sky, like how the stars appear to move during the night or that the Sun is actually a star just like the ones we see at night. This quote highlights how even intelligent students can sometimes lack knowledge about common, natural phenomena that we often take for granted.
About Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, and science communicator. He is best known for his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, as well as his popular science books and the award-winning TV series Cosmos. Sagan was a passionate advocate of scientific inquiry and the search for intelligent life beyond Earth.
More quotes from Carl Sagan
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
All of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast as video in a single large American city in a single year. Not all bits have equal value.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
When you make the finding yourself – even if you’re the last person on Earth to see the light – you’ll never forget it.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
We’ve arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
I can find in my undergraduate classes, bright students who do not know that the stars rise and set at night, or even that the Sun is a star.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
Personally, I would be delighted if there were a life after death, especially if it permitted me to continue to learn about this world and others, if it gave me a chance to discover how history turns out.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)
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?
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934-1996)