Carl Sagan: Polymath

LINK TO ONLINE SAGAN MEMORIAL

LINK TO CARL SAGAN WIKIPEDIA PAGE

"The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard, who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by 'God,' one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God. This God is emotionally unsatisfying... it does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity." Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan died ten years ago, December 20, 1996. I can remember it clearly and I can remember the sense of loss. Carl was a scientist, he was not a great scientist but he was a great communicator. His "great" scientific achievements are listed to include things like the initial investigations on the nature of the atmosphere of Venus, the idea of a nuclear winter and his exobiology theories including SETI.

The reality though is that the new science knowledge he was able to create simply established him as a trustworthy representative for science to modern society. We did not know that we needed Carl Sagan until he came along and showed the world the value of having a trustworthy, knowledgeable bridge between the world of science and the world of the everyday person.

He aspired to be a polymath and in that he came as close to it as we have had in the public domain. It was not that he understood, it was that he could explain both content and significance to those that did not understand.

Yes, he was an atheist. Yes, I have had conversations with a fellow evangelical that actually met Carl Sagan and was treated very poorly (even rudely) when Carl realized that he was speaking with a conservative Christian. Yes, I believe that Carl is now aware that he lived his life in spiritual darkness and indeed spent his life turning away from the light. Yes, I believe that he now regrets that more than anything else. For all that however I would also note that I have more Carl Sagan books on my bookshelf than any other author. I would note that it was not the scholar in Carl's writing that attracted me but the love and joy of discovery and knowledge. He was an evangelical for scientific modernity. He believed.

And that love, that joy, that hope, transformed his writings into something that transcends the mundane communication of facts. That is why, even though the scientific content of what he wrote may be dated, what he wrote still has value.

If you are inclined to read something by Carl I would recommend that you read Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot and Demon Haunted World for they show the spectrum of his thought over his entire career as a science communicator. He really believed and he really cared that others could and should know what he knew. He has not been replaced.