The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
Carl Sagan is considered one of the greatest scientific minds of our time. His remarkable ability to explain science in terms easily understandable to the layman in bestselling books such as Cosmos, The Dragons of Eden, and The Demon-Haunted World won him a Pulitzer Prize and placed him firmly next to Isaac Asimov, Stephen Jay Gould, and Oliver Sachs as one of the most important and enduring communicators of science. In December 2006 it will be the tenth anniversary of Sagan's death, and Ann Druyan, his widow and longtime collaborator, will mark the occasion by releasing Sagan's famous "Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology," The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God.
The chance to give the Gifford Lectures is an honor reserved for the most distinguished scientists and philosophers of our civilization. In 1985, on the grand occasion of the centennial of the lectureship, Carl Sagan was invited to give them. He took the opportunity to set down in detail his thoughts on the relationship between religion and science as well as to describe his own personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos.
The Varieties of Scientific Experience, edited, updated and with an introduction by Ann Druyan, is a bit like eavesdropping on a delightfully intimate conversation with the late great astronomer and astrophysicist. In his charmingly down-to-earth voice, Sagan easily discusses his views on topics ranging from manic depression and the possibly chemical nature of transcendance to creationism and so-called intelligent design to the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets to the likelihood of nuclear annihilation of our own to a new concept of science as "informed worship." Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, he illuminates his explanations with examples from cosmology, physics, philosophy, literature, psychology, cultural anthropology, mythology, theology, and more. Sagan's humorous, wise, and at times stunningly prophetic observations on some of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos have the invigorating effect of stimulating the intellect, exciting the imagination, and reawakening us to the grandeur of life in the cosmos.
In 1985, Carl Sagan gave the Gifford Lectures on Natural Theology in Scotland. His wife, Ann Druyan, found the transcripts, together with Sagan's notes for a book he had hoped to write with her about a synthesis of the spiritual perspectives they had derived from the revelations of science. Druyan, noting that William James turned his own Gifford lectures into his famous and influential book, The Varieties of Religious Experience, collected and edited Sagan's Gifford lectures, and titled the
Another goodreads.com reviewer made a comment about this book being safe for those types that believe in big G to read, that it wouldn't offend. I think that reviewer may have read a different version of this book. Sagan casually lobs out atheism grenades to dismantle a whole slew of arguments in favor of whatever you'd like to call that omniscient, omnipotent, prime mover in the sky but he does it so politely and without necessarily pointing out that he is pulling apart entire proofs with just
transcribed from his 1985 gifford lectures in glasgow, carl sagan's the varieties of scientific experience is an intrepid, erudite, and remarkably lucid examination of the universe, cosmology, extraterrestrial intelligence, religion, god, nuclear warfare, and humanity's future. sagan's prose is frequently breathtaking and his ability to succinctly convey and richly illustrate ideas is utterly enchanting.published ten years after his death in 1996 (and edited by his widow, ann druyan), the
[Although I finished this book about a month ago, I decided to let its message sink in before this review. After all, I've added this book on my read list since Dec 2008. To spoil this review: I loved it.]The Varieties of Scientific Experience is a book about science viewed as "everything about the world not supplied by revelation". Many books have been written on this topic, that is, of science as the complement or even supplement of religion, from the most playful (Surely You're Joking Mr.
Carl Sagan was one of the best at taking an exceptionally complex issue, often fraught with emotional and intuitional baggage, and rendering it into language that anyone can easily understand. He was also extremely generous in allowing that in any discussion of science or religion, no one, not even he, has all the answers, or maybe ever will.This book is a transcript of a series of lectures he gave at Glasgow University, dealing with natural religion, which basically deals with the intersection
My copy of this stays loaned out about ten months out of the year, so whenever it falls back into my hands for a week or two Im practically duty-bound to eat it up as quick as I can. Verdict: best as ever. If you read this book and dont have some fundamental opinions changed, then well probably be friends because you hold them in the first place.Also, I always forget (though probably no longer, writing something down has a way of solving that problem) that Kurt Vonnegut is the only blurb for the
Carl Sagan
Hardcover | Pages: 284 pages Rating: 4.27 | 9139 Users | 483 Reviews
Declare Books During The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
Original Title: | The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God |
ISBN: | 1594201072 (ISBN13: 9781594201073) |
Edition Language: | English |
Commentary Conducive To Books The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
On the 10th anniversary of his death, brilliant astrophysicist and Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sagan's prescient exploration of the relationship between religion and science and his personal search for God.Carl Sagan is considered one of the greatest scientific minds of our time. His remarkable ability to explain science in terms easily understandable to the layman in bestselling books such as Cosmos, The Dragons of Eden, and The Demon-Haunted World won him a Pulitzer Prize and placed him firmly next to Isaac Asimov, Stephen Jay Gould, and Oliver Sachs as one of the most important and enduring communicators of science. In December 2006 it will be the tenth anniversary of Sagan's death, and Ann Druyan, his widow and longtime collaborator, will mark the occasion by releasing Sagan's famous "Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology," The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God.
The chance to give the Gifford Lectures is an honor reserved for the most distinguished scientists and philosophers of our civilization. In 1985, on the grand occasion of the centennial of the lectureship, Carl Sagan was invited to give them. He took the opportunity to set down in detail his thoughts on the relationship between religion and science as well as to describe his own personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos.
The Varieties of Scientific Experience, edited, updated and with an introduction by Ann Druyan, is a bit like eavesdropping on a delightfully intimate conversation with the late great astronomer and astrophysicist. In his charmingly down-to-earth voice, Sagan easily discusses his views on topics ranging from manic depression and the possibly chemical nature of transcendance to creationism and so-called intelligent design to the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets to the likelihood of nuclear annihilation of our own to a new concept of science as "informed worship." Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, he illuminates his explanations with examples from cosmology, physics, philosophy, literature, psychology, cultural anthropology, mythology, theology, and more. Sagan's humorous, wise, and at times stunningly prophetic observations on some of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos have the invigorating effect of stimulating the intellect, exciting the imagination, and reawakening us to the grandeur of life in the cosmos.
List Of Books The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
Title | : | The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God |
Author | : | Carl Sagan |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 284 pages |
Published | : | December 11th 2006 by Penguin Press HC, The (first published November 7th 2006) |
Categories | : | Science. Nonfiction. Philosophy. Religion. Spirituality |
Rating Of Books The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
Ratings: 4.27 From 9139 Users | 483 ReviewsNotice Of Books The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
This is a must-read for Carl Sagan fans. I love his optimism and open-mindedness, as well as his refusal to accept unsupported beliefs just because they might make us feel better. Today's popularizers of science and skepticism (Richard Dawkins, et al) are saying a lot of the same things, but Sagan had a gift for tempering uncompromising skepticism with an empathy for believers that didn't require them to feel like chumps. He personified the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. IIn 1985, Carl Sagan gave the Gifford Lectures on Natural Theology in Scotland. His wife, Ann Druyan, found the transcripts, together with Sagan's notes for a book he had hoped to write with her about a synthesis of the spiritual perspectives they had derived from the revelations of science. Druyan, noting that William James turned his own Gifford lectures into his famous and influential book, The Varieties of Religious Experience, collected and edited Sagan's Gifford lectures, and titled the
Another goodreads.com reviewer made a comment about this book being safe for those types that believe in big G to read, that it wouldn't offend. I think that reviewer may have read a different version of this book. Sagan casually lobs out atheism grenades to dismantle a whole slew of arguments in favor of whatever you'd like to call that omniscient, omnipotent, prime mover in the sky but he does it so politely and without necessarily pointing out that he is pulling apart entire proofs with just
transcribed from his 1985 gifford lectures in glasgow, carl sagan's the varieties of scientific experience is an intrepid, erudite, and remarkably lucid examination of the universe, cosmology, extraterrestrial intelligence, religion, god, nuclear warfare, and humanity's future. sagan's prose is frequently breathtaking and his ability to succinctly convey and richly illustrate ideas is utterly enchanting.published ten years after his death in 1996 (and edited by his widow, ann druyan), the
[Although I finished this book about a month ago, I decided to let its message sink in before this review. After all, I've added this book on my read list since Dec 2008. To spoil this review: I loved it.]The Varieties of Scientific Experience is a book about science viewed as "everything about the world not supplied by revelation". Many books have been written on this topic, that is, of science as the complement or even supplement of religion, from the most playful (Surely You're Joking Mr.
Carl Sagan was one of the best at taking an exceptionally complex issue, often fraught with emotional and intuitional baggage, and rendering it into language that anyone can easily understand. He was also extremely generous in allowing that in any discussion of science or religion, no one, not even he, has all the answers, or maybe ever will.This book is a transcript of a series of lectures he gave at Glasgow University, dealing with natural religion, which basically deals with the intersection
My copy of this stays loaned out about ten months out of the year, so whenever it falls back into my hands for a week or two Im practically duty-bound to eat it up as quick as I can. Verdict: best as ever. If you read this book and dont have some fundamental opinions changed, then well probably be friends because you hold them in the first place.Also, I always forget (though probably no longer, writing something down has a way of solving that problem) that Kurt Vonnegut is the only blurb for the
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