youtube.com — In the final episode of 'Cosmos', Sagan discusses the destruction of the Library of Alexandria and why the momentous discoveries of the ancient world were unable to prevent the dark ages from virtually banishing scientific thought for a millennium. A sobering statement on what ignorance, apathy and fanaticism can do if left unchallenged.
Jun 11, 2008 View in Crawl 4
tyywebbJun 14, 2008
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."
ophelloJun 14, 2008
And you completely missed my point, which was that scientific progress will not be destroyed by religion.
Closed AccountJun 19, 2008
Dang it, touche!
leesoongJul 5, 2008
Sadly, hate minded and fearful religious nut jobs always, ALWAYS - go for the power. The power to destroy.Even now, organizations and churches work to insert their own operatives and agents into the government, military, schools, school boards, corporations, and other institutions to gain power over thought and reason. Their goal: enslave the minds of men to fear and superstition, replace questioning with obedience. Replace personal integrity with subservient loyalty. Destroy science and enforce dull minded conformity.The Librarian and early scientists murdered, and the Library of Alexandria burned - all part of the ''Faith Based Initiatives'' of the Roman Government.
leesoongJul 5, 2008
You do realize the scientific method is created anew in every single human life, whenever someone says,'' I wonder if this will work ? '' tries something new, andchanges their behavior towards more successful results?
leesoongJul 5, 2008
<a class="user" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RNfL6IVWCE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RNfL6IVWCE</a>What is happening here?
leesoongJul 5, 2008
Mr. Fusion powered flying Deloreans." Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads ! "<a class="user" href="http://www.delorean.com/">http://www.delorean.com/</a>
leesoongJul 5, 2008
Fascist Religion says: 'We have all the answers, stop asking questions !'Science says: 'All we have are questions, can you help us find some answers?'
360newsJul 8, 2008
Oh manFor all those bashing the church here, just stop and think for a minute.They were the light in the darkness for centuries. They kept records and recorded history - they KEPT history and knowledge. As much as diggers love to knock religion, you must admit that if they were not around at these crisis points in history, all that went before may well be lost to future generations./ no not a religious person, just annoyed at ignorance.
trandofirftlSep 28, 2008
His name is 'Eratosthenes', it is a tricky one to spell just from hearing though.