Carl Sagan: ‘The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be’

(RNS) “There are wonders enough out there without our inventing any,” Carl Sagan said.

(RNS) The late astronomer Carl Sagan is a touchstone for nonbelievers — atheists, agnostics and other nontheists. Here are some of Sagan’s more memorable statements, ones nonbelievers say reflect their philosophy that the universe is all there is:

  • “The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us — there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.” — “Cosmos: A Personal Journey,” 1980.
  • “Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.” — “Cosmos: A Personal Journey,” 1980.
  • “Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” — “Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space,” 1994.
  • “The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed by zealots in the name of God, Jesus and Mohammed than has ever been committed in the name of Satan. Many people don’t like that statement, but few can argue with it.” — “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark,” 1995.
  • “There are wonders enough out there without our inventing any.” — “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark,” 1995.
  • “Many religions have attempted to make statues of their gods very large, and the idea, I suppose, is to make us feel small. But if that’s their purpose, they can keep their paltry icons. We need only look up if we wish to feel small.” — “The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God,” 2006.

YS/MG END WINSTON

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