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| Carl Sagan |
by Rajiv Narayan, upworthy.com
Carl Sagan inspired a generation of scientists with his work in and out of the classroom. But he didn't always present science with cheer. In this clip, he passionately defends science with a grave warning. It's something we all need to hear.
Carl Sagan inspired a generation of scientists with his work in and out of the classroom. But he didn't always present science with cheer. In this clip, he passionately defends science with a grave warning. It's something we all need to hear.
Extract from an Interview with Charlie Rose, 27 May 1996 (text transcribed by the editor of this blog)
Sagan:…We live in an age based on science and technology with formidable technological powers.
Rose: Science and technology are propelling us forward at accelerating rates.
Sagan: That’s right, and if we don’t understand it, by “we” I mean the general public - “ if it’s something I’m not good at, I don’t know anything about” – then, who’s making all the decisions about science and technology that are going to determine what kind of future our children live in? Just some members of Congress? But there is no more than a handful of members of Congress with any background in science at all and the Republican Congress has just abolished its own office of technology assessment, the organization that gave them bipartisan competent advice on science and technology. “We don’t want to know. Don’t tell us about science and technology.”
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Sagan:…We live in an age based on science and technology with formidable technological powers.
Rose: Science and technology are propelling us forward at accelerating rates.
Sagan: That’s right, and if we don’t understand it, by “we” I mean the general public - “ if it’s something I’m not good at, I don’t know anything about” – then, who’s making all the decisions about science and technology that are going to determine what kind of future our children live in? Just some members of Congress? But there is no more than a handful of members of Congress with any background in science at all and the Republican Congress has just abolished its own office of technology assessment, the organization that gave them bipartisan competent advice on science and technology. “We don’t want to know. Don’t tell us about science and technology.”