Sunday, February 19, 2017

Carl Sagan and the "Insignificant Planet" Earth

The late astronomer and popular science personality Carl Sagan once remarked:
"Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people."
To an extent, I understand and appreciate what Carl Sagan had to say here. I think we all do. Compared to the enormity of the universe, and even in comparison to our parent star and the planets of our solar system, Earth doesn't seem like a whole lot. We are justifiably awed by our little foothold on the cosmic enormity.
On another level, however, Sagan is actually refuting his own premise, although in a way that may not be immediately apparent.
For while Sagan intended that his statement should foster a greater appreciation in us for the world we call home, the Earth itself is incapable of appreciating his efforts. The ground beneath our feet, the water of the world's oceans, and the atmosphere around us will never understand Sagan's point. The dirt on Mars will never come to appreciate his logic. The mighty rings of Saturn will never stop to ponder the imagery he conveyed. The icy mountains of Pluto will remain forever ignorant of his intent. The great galaxy in Andromeda, awe-inspiring though it is, is incapable of being either awed or inspired by Sagan's ideal. The 10,000 galaxies of the Hubble Deep Field image - referred to by some as the most significant image ever created in the history of mankind - have not a single IQ point between them. They have no feeling, no perception, no knowledge of their own grandeur. They are giant collections of matter and energy, nothing more.
It takes something more - something fundamentally different - to appreciate what Carl Sagan had to say, and this is where he subtly refutes himself. For significance and insignificance are concepts, and it takes a mind to understand concepts; and as far as we know, and in all probability, Earth is the only planet in this universe where minds exist. Therefore, it is only on Earth where Sagan's statement about our insignificance can itself have any significance.

Something to think about.


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