"All inquiries carry with them some element of risk. There is no guarantee that the universe will conform to our predispositions. But I do not see how we can deal with the universe—both the outside and the inside universe—without studying it. The best way to avoid abuses is for the populace in general to be scientifically literate, to understand the implications of such investigations. In exchange for freedom of inquiry, scientists are obliged to explain their work. If science is considered a closed priesthood, too difficult and arcane for the average person to understand, the dangers of abuse are greater. But if science is a topic of general interest and concern—if both its delights and its social consequences are discussed regularly and competently in the schools, the press, and at the dinner table—we have greatly improved our prospects for learning how the world really is and for improving both it and us."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain (Ballantine Books, 1979), Ch. 1: "Broca's Brain" (pp. 13-14)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Science
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Science
428 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Science →
Related Quotes
"If the author is so interested in Science, why doesn't she take a course in it?"
"One of the most disconcerting issues of our time lies in the fact that modern science, along with miracle drugs and c…"
"But in practical affairs, particularly in politics, men are needed who combine human experience and interest in human…"
"Your worship is your furnaces, Which, like old idols, lost obscenes, Have molten bowels; your vision is Machines for …"
"L'Art est fait pour troubler, la Science rassure."
"Science, by itself, has no moral dimension. The drug which cures when taken in small doses may kill when taken in exc…"
"We're science: we're all about coulda, not shoulda!"
"Pursued one-sidedly, science confines our glance to the immediate, tangible, certain result. It turns the mind away f…"
"All models are wrong; some models are useful."
"People keep saying "science doesn't know everything!" Well, science "knows" it doesn't know everything; otherwise it …"