[quotes] _Contact_, Carl Sagan

[wispfox]

'"Let's see if I've got this straight," he returned. It was a phrase of hers that he had adopted. "It's a lazy Saturday afternoon, and there's this couple lying naked in bed reading the Encyclopedia Britannica to each other, and arguing about whether the Andromeda Galaxy is more 'numinous' than the Resurrection. Do they know how to have a good time, or don't they?"'

"Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars." -Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857)

'"Ever been in love?" The question was direct, matter-of-fact.
"Halfway, half a dozen times. But" - she glanced at the nearest telecope - "there was always so much noise, the signal was hard to find. And you?"
"Never," he replied flatly. There was a pause, and then he added with a faint smile, "But I have faith."'

I was right, I love this book. Even more than I love the movie (and I love the movie! It was the first movie I ever owned), I love this book.

And I'm amused that my first reaction to the picture at the end of the book was 'huh! He's cute!', followed by an attempt to figure out what sparked that reaction. He radiates joy. Radiating joy gets my attention quite strongly.

Joy and much adoration of this book. But now, I must sleep.

Comments

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Did you see any episodes of Cosmos (his PBS miniseries)? Have you read any of his nonfiction?

No, and no. Suggestions?

Or was the above a suggestion in and of itself?

[beowabbit]

Sorry I didn't reply to this in a timely fashion. If I had to recommend only one Sagan book, it would be The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are and The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence are also good. Basically, you can't go wrong reading Sagan.

Be warned, though, that Sagan does not believe in magic, and people who do might find parts of The Demon-Haunted World annoying. I suspect intelligent people who enjoy intellectual discussions won't, but not believing in magic myself I am not an expert in how people who believe in magic will react to Sagan. :-) (For purposes of this paragraph, you can also read "religion" for "magic".)