A friend on an email discussion mentioned Carl Sagan and noted he was good on skepticism of pseudoscience and mused about whether he was good on politics. Alas, no. As is typically the case of engineers and scientists brainwashed with scientism (The Trouble with Libertarian Activism, Libertarian Activism-comments, Yet More on Galambos, Engineers’ Syndrome and C.P. Snow’s “The Two Cultures” and Misesian Dualism), he was a clod on this issue. From a review of one of his books:
My second critique is with regard to Sagan’s contradictory political views. On the one hand, he argues against authoritarianism of any sort, he points out government waste, discusses how the government shouldn’t be anti-choice, and is upset that politicians only work for the short term since they are only working to get elected again. I agree with his assessment to this point. However, then he seems to argue out of the other side of his mouth that the government should be there to provide ever larger social safety nets (i.e., welfare, social security, entitlements, etc.), collect more taxes in some cases, give U.S. tax dollars to other countries, and fund projects that don’t justly benefit those doing the funding (taxpayers). I don’t understand how someone can reconcile the seemingly opposed views. If the government can’t do its current jobs well, why give it more to do inefficiently and ineffectively? If individuals should be the responsible party, why shift all the burdens (in the form of more tax dollars and more government spending) to governments?
And another friend stumbled across this amusing anecdote, which illustrates what a statist and/or arrogant jerk he was. From the Wikipedia entry on Sagan:
In 1994, Apple Computer began developing the Power Macintosh 7100. They chose the internal code name “Carl Sagan”, the reference being that the mid-range PowerMac 7100 should make Apple “billions and billions.” Though the internal project name was never used in public marketing, it did come up in Usenet postings and news of the name grew from there. When Sagan learned of this he sued Apple Computer to force the use of a different project name. Other models released conjointly had code names such as “Cold fusion” and “Piltdown Man“, and Sagan was displeased at being associated with what he considered pseudoscience. (He was at the time writing a book discrediting pseudoscience.) Though Sagan lost the lawsuit Apple engineers complied with his demands anyway and renamed the project “BHA” (for Butt-Head Astronomer). Sagan promptly sued Apple for libel over the new name, claiming that it subjected him to contempt and ridicule, but he lost this lawsuit as well. Still, the 7100 saw another name change: it was finally referred to internally as “LAW” (Lawyers Are Wimps).
This reminds a bit of the story in Shades of Galambos!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
You, sir, are a simpleton. I understand that it probably hurts you that such an intelligent and caring man disagrees with you politically, but seriously… to even suggest that Sagan was an arrogant jerk is extremely arrogant and jerky.
I probably should not need to point out the obvious- but don’t you think it is a bit arrogant to discount Sagan because his thoughts on politic do not match your views? I mean, its not like you have any scientific evidence to support the idea that Libertarianism works better than Sagan’s proposals.
Worshipping Ayn Rand does not make you an expert on macroeconomics, human nature, or anything for that matter. I think it is probably clear to you that you hold a belief in a system of government (er, non-government) that is likely not:
1. attainable
2. maintainable
or
3. makes assumptions about human nature that are clearly not supported by evidence
I will take this moment to assume your possible responses as I won’t likely be compelled to return to see your post. Sorry for the hit and run. I’m sure you can decide what my reply would be to your reply.
Stephen, I suggest you just give up now. Joe nailed you. In fact, he nailed you, all of libertarian-anarchism, and completely obliterated your Sagan/Jerk theory.
You should be ashamed of yourself to speak of a brilliant scientist in such a way. Sagan is in no way a politician and his views on politics have no relevance to you. To call a man who spent his life helping others a jerk makes you the biggest jerk of all. You should change the title of this review it is very offensive.
You should be ashamed to condemn such an incredible person like Sagan just because you don’t share his political views.
Ha, ha, the previous comments are priceless.
WTF is wrong with you?
Like you know politics.
Read Albert Einsteins, why socialism.
Many scientists, while brilliant in some areas, remain childishly naive when it comes to political philosophy and economics. Sagan is one such example, Einstein (likely a front for other scientists) is another. They become institutionalized into the government-controlled academic culture, which warps their view of the world into a sense of socialist entitlement. This is why the real application of the scientific method is impossible under a criminal power monopoly known as government (Ayn Rand, being a Minarchist, was wrong about this as well), and can only come from the private sector, where capital can only be allocated on the basis of tangible merit.
Well said, Alex. Sagan has it right in “Who Speaks for Earth”, “there is no record… that any of the illustrious scholars [in Alexandria] and scientists ever seriously challenge a single political, or economic, or religious assumption of the society in which they lived. The permanence of the stars was questioned, the justice of slavery was not…. So when the mob came to burn the place down, there was nobody to stop them.”
Yet, Sagan stops far too short, like Aristotle praising slavery, when he praises both science and The State – both reason and force.
Does that make him a “Socialist Jerk”? Sure, why not.
Would he hold the gun, himself, to collect taxes from you? I don’t know, but he praised it.
I graciously refer readers to: http://www.FreedomainRadio.com
… and you’re welcome.
You didn’t do a very good of showing what a jerk Sagan is.
And the commenters are just being childish douchebags.
Since you made no substantive reason for why he’s a socialist jerk, they’re simply whining because they don’t like someone they like being criticized, for whatever reason, which is the antithesis of free thought and critical thinking.
“WAAA! Carl Sagan is brilliant and that means if you say bad things about him your bad. DONT CALL HIM A JERK!! YOUR THE JERK!” etc
I much prefer the quote that Libman showed me.
“If there is life on Mars, I believe we should do nothing with Mars.
Mars then belongs to the Martians, even if the Martians are only microbes.” – Carl Sagan
If I get to mars, first thing I’m going to do after opening a strip mine and a strip club, is carve CARL SAGAN in 500 foot letters into the martian regolith.
fucking weak ass human hater. The kind of douches who think “nature” is something separate from humans, that beavers should build their dams, termites should build their hives, and all animals can fuck with whatever other animals they want.
except humans. we should leave everything pristine as if we were never here. WE shouldn’t make an impact or change anything, even though we have the most wondrous capacity for it.
fuck that. put my body on the LHC when i die and blast me into an endangered eagle.
Fuck yeah.
FatCat is named well. The cholesterol from his meat-laden diet has impaired his memory. The actual quote it this:
“If there is life, then I believe we should do nothing to disturb that life.
Mars then, belongs to the Martians, even if they are microbes.”
-Carl Sagan
Cosmos, Blues For a Red Planet
Your first quote is incredibly idiotic. In short it says, “Carl Sagan agrees with some of the political views I agree with. Yet he believes in things I don’t believe in. This makes him a hypocrite.” It really doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. You should just stick to masturbating over Ayn Rand novels .
Carl Sagan wan an arrogant SOB. Not to mention most of what he did was regurgitate other people ideas and make it sound like it was all him. Then he’d go off on some tirade about ancient cultures beliefs or current sudo-sciences like astrology when he clearly had NO idea what he was talking about. He’d use a freaking newspaper to support his assumptions for crying out loud! That he treated politics in the same manner is no surprise to me. The guy was a douche, get over him already.
@Joe #13
I’d like to see some credentials on your knowledge of astronomy and some actual evidence of how he was an “arrogant SOB” rather than the tripe you spewed out of your asshole for your last comment.
Petty, cheap pot shots at a man who did more to popularize science than the author here will ever do for his political leanings. This little piece reminds me more of the snarling of a shaky, snarling chihuahua.