The nature of life on Earth and the search for life elsewhere are two sides of the same question: the search for who we are.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Searching for life elsewhere is fundamentally a search for self-understanding and identity.
- In plain terms
- Looking for aliens helps us understand who we are as humans.
- What can you take from it?
- Seeking extraterrestrial life is a quest for self-knowledge.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does finding aliens change how you see humanity?
- What makes us unique?
Another view
Finding life elsewhere might not actually help us understand ourselves better.
More from Carl Sagan
Comets giveth and comets taketh away.
Permalink to quote #98 If we are alone in the Universe, it sure seems like an awful waste of space.
Permalink to quote #100 Where we have strong emotions, we're liable to fool ourselves. (From the 'Cosmos' television series, 'Blues for the Red Planet')
Permalink to quote #97
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