Theres a Blog-a-thon for Carl Sagan today. I don’t have an entry of my own, but John Scalzi covers my sentiments pretty well with this:
What I do know is that I like his ideas. I like his love of science. I like his faith in humanity. I like how he saw us reaching for things greater than ourselves, because it was in our nature and because it was a fulfillment of our nature. I like how he shared his enthusiasm for the entire universe with everyone, and believed that everyone could share in that enthusiasm. These are things that, in giving them to everyone, he also gave to me, first as an 11-year-old and then continuing on. I’ve accepted them with thanks and made them part of who I am. If I use them well, I may be fortunate enough to share them with you, as they were shared with me.
I made a point to pick up and read Contact when it came out, because Sagan was the author. Like most things he did, it did not disappoint. I remember thinking that he left us too soon when he passed on in 1996. We need someone like him with us today, shedding light on the subject of real science.
