...No scientist on Earth knows how a planet might blow itself up, which is probably just as well.
-Carl Sagan
Dearest Carl. Reading Cosmos changed my life pretty much forever, and this is one of the lines that did it. He knew there's no reason why you can't enjoy a good laugh while you were reading your science.
If you haven't read Cosmos, go do so forthwith. Then follow up with Pale Blue Dot, and top it off with The Demon-Haunted World.
I'd recommend Dragons of Eden, too, though I suspect we'd find some of it a bit dated now.
ReplyDeleteCosmos was also a TV series, and it's out on DVD, as well as being at least fitfully available on the Internet. It's well worth a watch. Except for Carl's ubiquitous turtleneck, it doesn't strike me as dated. The sense of wonder it describes is timeless.