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foofers1622's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
ruttery's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most important books ever written, or at least, in the 20th century. Beautiful scientific prose on the past, present and future of... everything. Still highly relevant and humbling after 20 years.
mfeezell's review against another edition
5.0
There’s a reason Sagan is considered one of the best science communicators of all time. This book told science through anecdotes, biographies, and poems, all without any of the usual trappings of traditional academic writing. Most importantly, it’s so abundantly clear throughout that he understood why science is so important. It’s importance is not in the pure knowledge gained, or in prestige, but in the betterment of ourselves as a community and a species. Some of the points made in this book would still be considered radical today, and it makes me realize that we need to be holding scientific institutions to a much higher standard if Sagan was writing this eloquently on the intersection of science with philosophy and politics over 40 years ago.
michinio's review against another edition
5.0
Despite some almost religious kinda propaganda of atheism, this book is one of the most beautiful scientific literature. Even about atheism - I understand that some people really need very sound attitude and strong arguments to little bit open minds, so that was also ok. Unlike some other books of the genre (like from [a:Brian Greene|509|Brian Greene|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1227070497p2/509.jpg] or [a:Stephen Hawking|1401|Stephen Hawking|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1197404653p2/1401.jpg]) this one is not pure science - it is definitely literature, though not a fiction and Carl Sagan is as good writer as a scientist.
The peak of amazement and breathtakingness was reached at the chapter X and all the following chapters I read in kind of trippy mood and that was great experience!
The peak of amazement and breathtakingness was reached at the chapter X and all the following chapters I read in kind of trippy mood and that was great experience!
savaging's review against another edition
4.0
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -- Sagan
Look, I don't even believe in interstellar exploration when there are so many solvable problems on our own planet. Or when scientific advancements are always roped into the service of war and oppression or conspicuous consumption for the owning class. And anyway like Frost said "the earth's the right place for love."
But Sagan can make a person care about things. Like quasar explosions, for example (in every one "millions of worlds -- some with life and the intelligence to understand what is happening -- may be utterly destroyed." Try using THAT as an explanation for why you're sad today). Or the messages we've already sent out to the universe at the speed of light (the first to reach any listener are 1940s television commercials and speeches from war-mongering heads of state. "What must they think of us?" Sagan asks, embarrassed). Also, the twirling movement of the Milky Way ("The stars that outline the arms do not survive even a single galactic rotation; only the spiral pattern remains").
And all of this is couched in a love song to finback whales and the ancient scientist Hypatia and the other things that are or were our own Earth. I was seduced. By a 1980 astrophysics book.
Concerning its age: as far as I could tell from using Wikipedia as my companion-reader, there isn't very much in this book that is dated. Pluto's still a planet and there isn't any dark matter, the causes of quasars and the dinosaur extinction are more foggy. But he also accurately imagines some developments, like the Mars Rovers.
Warning: even if you have nerdy friends, you may find discussions generated by this book still stretch the boundaries of the acceptably nerdy. Unless you too have the Saganic skill to make people care about astrophysics -- which I, apparently, do not. But then again, your friends can also joke that you're actually reading "Cosmo," and you can come up with fun headlines, like "Ten Signs the Universe is Not That Into You."
Look, I don't even believe in interstellar exploration when there are so many solvable problems on our own planet. Or when scientific advancements are always roped into the service of war and oppression or conspicuous consumption for the owning class. And anyway like Frost said "the earth's the right place for love."
But Sagan can make a person care about things. Like quasar explosions, for example (in every one "millions of worlds -- some with life and the intelligence to understand what is happening -- may be utterly destroyed." Try using THAT as an explanation for why you're sad today). Or the messages we've already sent out to the universe at the speed of light (the first to reach any listener are 1940s television commercials and speeches from war-mongering heads of state. "What must they think of us?" Sagan asks, embarrassed). Also, the twirling movement of the Milky Way ("The stars that outline the arms do not survive even a single galactic rotation; only the spiral pattern remains").
And all of this is couched in a love song to finback whales and the ancient scientist Hypatia and the other things that are or were our own Earth. I was seduced. By a 1980 astrophysics book.
Concerning its age: as far as I could tell from using Wikipedia as my companion-reader, there isn't very much in this book that is dated. Pluto's still a planet and there isn't any dark matter, the causes of quasars and the dinosaur extinction are more foggy. But he also accurately imagines some developments, like the Mars Rovers.
Warning: even if you have nerdy friends, you may find discussions generated by this book still stretch the boundaries of the acceptably nerdy. Unless you too have the Saganic skill to make people care about astrophysics -- which I, apparently, do not. But then again, your friends can also joke that you're actually reading "Cosmo," and you can come up with fun headlines, like "Ten Signs the Universe is Not That Into You."