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Why isn't everyone a "Saganist"?

 
 
 
T.G.G. Moogly said:
steve_bank said:
Late in life he admitted using pot for inspiration....
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Well obviously then we should all be doing some rolling if that's all it takes.

Carl was one smart mother fucker, loved his planet, and didn't let his private parts get in the way.

Cornell ought to have his statue front and center on campus right there with Ezra and E.B.
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I member an old video were he talked about Venusians.

I think Tyson is a far better face on science than Sagan. Well grounded in reality. Nye is a silly fool.

Sagan was too spacy and trippy, to use terms that are probably out of date. He was part of the drug-mysticism era. Semi mystical pop science as an alternative to Christianity. Today it is Mako. His shows I call phantasmagorical.
 
I'm more of a FransdeWaalist. I love the writing and the way he gives evidence that morality evolved from animals. I've read most of his books, sometimes twice, partly because I'm old and I don't always remember what I read the first time. Frans de Waal is an atheist but he doesn't bash religion. I agree with him that there are both positive and negative aspects of religion, just like there are in most man made things. I love bonobos and that is his special area of research. I've read most of Sagan's books many years ago. They are good, but they never inspired me like de Waal does.

If you'd like to join my Frans de Waal cult, start with these books: :D

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are

Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong

The Atheist and the Bonobo

Or just look at the beautiful photography in the book that he coauthored with Frans Lanting called: Bonobo The Forgotten Ape :)
 
Tammuz said:
A while ago I came across the term "Saganist". As defined in Urban Dictionary:

One who participates in the school of thought known as Saganism.

One who maintains an awestruck perspective of the vast cosmos we inhabit so minutely and the wonder of billions of years of evolution that brought us to this moment.
One who finds a source of complete spiritual satisfaction in the natural laws of the universe and the achievements of mankind's scientific practice thus far.

Emphasis is placed upon the duty of care for our planet, the need for ambitious space exploration programs, the folly of religion, nationalism and war, but also the need for compassion in the face of small-mindedness and zealotry.

The world would be an incredible place if all human beings were Saganists.
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I'm not really a fan of being an -ist named after a single person. But in any case, Carl Sagan was a really great guy, and I find his sentiment, an summarized in the quote to be very desirable. Why isn't this the predominant sentiment of the world? Think of how different such a world would be compared to the one we inhabit right now.

In a "Saganist" world, science and critical thinking would be core subjects in school and every child would receive excellent education in them. Global warming would have been taken seriously decades ago, not as of now, a half-assed wake-up when it might be almost too late. The pale blue dot would be well-cared for, and not just for humans, but for other animals as well. There would be ambitious plans and projects for space exploration and colonization. Religion would be a fringe phenomena, Christianity and Islam not viewed as qualitively different that Norse mythology and Egyptian mythology.

Hey, I can dream!
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Honestly, because "Saganism" has a lot of overlap with pantheism.
 
Tammuz said:
A while ago I came across the term "Saganist". As defined in Urban Dictionary:

One who participates in the school of thought known as Saganism.

One who maintains an awestruck perspective of the vast cosmos we inhabit so minutely and the wonder of billions of years of evolution that brought us to this moment.
One who finds a source of complete spiritual satisfaction in the natural laws of the universe and the achievements of mankind's scientific practice thus far.

Emphasis is placed upon the duty of care for our planet, the need for ambitious space exploration programs, the folly of religion, nationalism and war, but also the need for compassion in the face of small-mindedness and zealotry.

The world would be an incredible place if all human beings were Saganists.
Click to expand...

I'm not really a fan of being an -ist named after a single person. But in any case, Carl Sagan was a really great guy, and I find his sentiment, an summarized in the quote to be very desirable. Why isn't this the predominant sentiment of the world? Think of how different such a world would be compared to the one we inhabit right now.

In a "Saganist" world, science and critical thinking would be core subjects in school and every child would receive excellent education in them. Global warming would have been taken seriously decades ago, not as of now, a half-assed wake-up when it might be almost too late. The pale blue dot would be well-cared for, and not just for humans, but for other animals as well. There would be ambitious plans and projects for space exploration and colonization. Religion would be a fringe phenomena, Christianity and Islam not viewed as qualitively different that Norse mythology and Egyptian mythology.

Hey, I can dream!
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How isn't it a religion?
 
DrZoidberg said:
Tammuz said:
A while ago I came across the term "Saganist". As defined in Urban Dictionary:

One who participates in the school of thought known as Saganism.

One who maintains an awestruck perspective of the vast cosmos we inhabit so minutely and the wonder of billions of years of evolution that brought us to this moment.
One who finds a source of complete spiritual satisfaction in the natural laws of the universe and the achievements of mankind's scientific practice thus far.

Emphasis is placed upon the duty of care for our planet, the need for ambitious space exploration programs, the folly of religion, nationalism and war, but also the need for compassion in the face of small-mindedness and zealotry.

The world would be an incredible place if all human beings were Saganists.
Click to expand...

I'm not really a fan of being an -ist named after a single person. But in any case, Carl Sagan was a really great guy, and I find his sentiment, an summarized in the quote to be very desirable. Why isn't this the predominant sentiment of the world? Think of how different such a world would be compared to the one we inhabit right now.

In a "Saganist" world, science and critical thinking would be core subjects in school and every child would receive excellent education in them. Global warming would have been taken seriously decades ago, not as of now, a half-assed wake-up when it might be almost too late. The pale blue dot would be well-cared for, and not just for humans, but for other animals as well. There would be ambitious plans and projects for space exploration and colonization. Religion would be a fringe phenomena, Christianity and Islam not viewed as qualitively different that Norse mythology and Egyptian mythology.

Hey, I can dream!
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How isn't it a religion?
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Define "religion".
 
PyramidHead said:
DrZoidberg said:
It's a set of beliefs, rituals, myths, symbols, objets and shared values that act to bind a community together.
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How is that not a definition of "culture"?
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A culture is much wider and vaguer. A culture is just something that a group of people keep doing for whatever reason. It's not necessarily even a source of identity. A company can have a culture. A culture is just a collection of habits. A religion has to be done on purpose. I don't think you can call yourself religious if it's just something you do out of habit. I think there's some sort of intention and expected pay-off involved.

I'm not saying my definition is universal. It's just something I'm running with
 
Why should I call myself by someone else's name?
 
Saganists are the scum of he Earth. I am a Eiensteinist. Everything is relative.
 
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