30 MAY 2016 by ideonexus
Hold Expertise in Esteem
Facts, evidence, reason, logic, an understanding of science -- these are good things. (Applause.) These are qualities you want in people making policy. These are qualities you want to continue to cultivate in yourselves as citizens. (Applause.) That might seem obvious. (Laughter.) That's why we honor Bill Moyers or Dr. Burnell. We traditionally have valued those things. But if you were listening to today's political debate, you might wonder where this strain of anti-intellectualism ca...Folksonomies: expertise
Folksonomies: expertise
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notes30 JAN 2015 by ideonexus
Science Does Not Rob Life of Purpose
Presumably there is indeed no
purpose in the ultimate fate of the cosmos, but do any of us really tie our
life's hopes to the ultimate fate of the cosmos anyway? Of course we don't;
not if we are sane. Our lives are ruled by all sorts of closer, warmer,
human ambitions and perceptions. To accuse science of robbing life of
the warmth that makes it worth living is so preposterously mistaken, so
diametrically opposite to my own feelings and those of most working scientists, I am almost driven to... 1 notes
notes24 JAN 2015 by ideonexus
Dyson VS Sagan on Nuclear Winter
I do not wish here to get into a technical argument about the details of nuclear winter. I will merely summarize my own struggles with the technical issues. I spent a few weeks in 1985 trying to make nuclear winter go away. The phrase "go away" here is used in the sense customary among scientists. To destroy a new theory, you try to find a simple situation where the theory predicts that something happens and you can prove that the same something does not happen. Then you say that the thing pr... 1 notes
notes09 AUG 2014 by ideonexus
Juan Mendez Secular Invocation
Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads. I would like to ask you not to bow your heads. I would like to ask that you take a moment to look around the room at all of the men and women here, in this moment, sharing together this extraordinary experience of being alive and of dedicating ourselves to working toward improving the lives of the people of our state.
This room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension, of ideological division, of fr...Folksonomies: secularism
Folksonomies: secularism
1 notes
notesuan Mendez, member of the Arizona House of Representatives, delivered a humanist invocation to the Arizona House of Representatives on May 21, 2013.
03 MAR 2014 by ideonexus
The Scientific Bias Against Promotion
I agree that a dreary comprehensive litany of who made what suggestion and which project official rejected it would be tedious (although me fact that the same idea arose in the minds of many different people - both in the science and the engineering teams - is worth noting), while at least some indication of the resistance to "nonscientific" data might be quite interesting. The battle is, of course, being played out again with regard to the two Galileo Earth encounters, where there was partic... 1 notes
notesCarl Sagan recounting the resistance to having Voyager take a photo of Earth from deep space because it had no scientific value.
03 MAR 2014 by ideonexus
Why Carl Sagan Could Explain Things So Well
The adult Sagan always sounded like the smartest person in the room, but in the papers we encounter this interesting note in a 1981 file, right after “Cosmos” hit it big: “I think I’m able to explain things because understanding wasn’t entirely easy for me. Some things that the most brilliant students were able to see instantly I had to work to understand. I can remember what I had to do to figure it out. The very brilliant ones figure it out so fast they never see the mechanics of ...Folksonomies: understanding explanation
Folksonomies: understanding explanation
1 notes
notesBecause understanding did not come easy for him.
26 SEP 2013 by ideonexus
Scientists Must Evangelize
My professors’ generation could respond to silliness like creationism with head-scratching bemusement. My students cannot afford that luxury. Instead they must become fierce champions of science in the marketplace of ideas.
During my undergraduate studies I was shocked at the low opinion some of my professors had of the astronomer Carl Sagan. For me his efforts to popularize science were an inspiration, but for them such “outreach” was a diversion. That view makes no sense today.
The ... 1 notes
notesIt is no longer acceptable for scientists to sit on the sidelines and immerse themselves in their work. They must engage the public.
22 MAY 2013 by ideonexus
Representative Juan Mendez Atheist Prayer
Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads. I would like to ask you not to bow your heads. I would like to ask that you take a moment to look around the room at all of the men and women here, in this moment, sharing together this extraordinary experience of being alive and of dedicating ourselves to working toward improving the lives of the people of our state.
This room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension, of ideological division, of fr... 1 notes
notesGiven as the opening-prayer for the start of the Arizona Legislature.
28 JAN 2013 by ideonexus
"Sagan" as a Unit of Measurement
Carl Sagan was an American cosmologist, astronomer, and absolute tireless champion of the sciences in the public sphere. He was the author, co-editor, or editor of almost two dozen science books, and the host the award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos. Sagan was well known for his excitement in talking about science, especially cosmological issues, and would strongly enunciate the M sound in millions and the B sound in billions to emphasize just how big the numbers were and properly diff... 1 notes
notesFrom the trademark "Billions and Billions." "Billions" is plural, meaning greater than two, so billions and billions at minimum equals four.
18 JAN 2013 by ideonexus
The "Sagan Effect"
With Cosmos, Sagan sought to put an end to the fear and to inspire the kind of wonder Hubble's lectures had inspired in the 1930s and 1940s and the Moon landing had inspired in 1969. The series was enormously successful. For the first time since Hubble, a huge audience was engaged in exploring the grand questions of life, nature, the structure of the uni¬ verse, mythology, and what it might all mean, how it might all fit together, the mystery of it all. It examined how our search for meaning...Folksonomies: science popularization science exponent
Folksonomies: science popularization science exponent
1 notes
notesThe fact that Carl Sagan was denied tenure at Harvard because of the jealousy of his peers over his public persona.
