Word: sagan
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Sagan seems to be creating a new discipline: scientific speculation. This is a dangerous combination. His statement that evolution is a fact is one of the first fruits of such a disturbing union. Science is, or at least was, dependent upon the observable. It is the lack of observations, followed by a statement proposed as fact that erodes the integrity of science. It makes me nervous, regardless of the quality of the showmanship...
...Sagan "blurs the line between fact and speculation," as his colleagues testify, will scientific inquiry be advanced, or will Sagan's own ego-inspired inaccuracies be promulgated...
Poor Carl Sagan. He so desperately wants to find man's significance in the cosmos, but he simply cannot bear to speak the word that would give his grand search coherence and conclusion...
...Sagan promotes Sagan and Cosmos promotes Sagan. As he postures before lingering cameras and delivers overdramatic monologues from Star Wars-like props, he skillfully blends fact with fiction, leaving viewers perplexed. By adding gimmicks and schmaltz to fascinating scientific subjects, Sagan cheapens them. This type of presentation imbues science with the razzle-dazzle of show biz and reduces it to bubble gum mentality. Fortunately a flick of the TV dial can leave Sagan out in space...
Perhaps Carl Sagan's strongest message in his efforts to bring science to the people is this: Science is the true language of the present and of the future. Only a small fraction of this planet's populace, however, can speak the language. The most significant question facing us is whether our civilization, as a whole, will learn to utilize science for the benefit of mankind. The answer will surely determine our future course: noble greatness or self-inflicted extinction...