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The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
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Product Description
Carl Sagan’s prophetic vision of the tragic resurgence of fundamentalism and the hope-filled potential of the next great development in human spirituality
The late great astronomer and astrophysicist describes his personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos. Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, Sagan presents his views on a wide range of topics, including the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, creationism and so-called intelligent design, and a new concept of science as “informed worship.” Originally presented at the centennial celebration of the famous Gifford Lectures in Scotland in 1985 but never published, this book offers a unique encounter with one of the most remarkable minds of the twentieth century.
Customer Reviews:
Carl Sagan dazzles me again
Carl Sagan's Varieities of Scietific experience dazzles me once again with his nack for writing and explaining things so well. He has a well formulated idea of G-d that seems irrefutable. He also brings up many interesting thoughts on the nature of religion and the human condition. Overall, another fantastic book by Sagan.
Never fear! God's still here! 
A very interesting book. Fear not believers in God, nothing in Dr. Sagans book negates the possibility of a God of Biblical interpretation! Nothing factual in any field of science does either, for that matter. I appreciate Sagan's respectful aproach, for instance, his respect for those (not me) who do believe even in the "Shroud of Turin" though there is a tinge of sarcasm. It was his reputation for respecting others (as oposed to the likes of Dawkins,,, ect) that won me over to reading his book. He claims to believe in Spanoza and Einstein's interpretation of God which certainly isn't anything like the God of the Bible. I'm quite on parr with Sagan as far as his viewpoints on most religion, the traditions and superstition, and especially agree, for the most part with him on cosmology, UFO's, alien sightings and such. But that's about where it ends. Sagan is great for cosmology which is his 'forte', but as a psycologist, he 'explains' why humans do certain things as lingering effects of evolutuion (almost sounds like past-life, reincarnation), while those who are specifically trained psycologists rely on present life experiences or childhood upbringing to explain why people do what they do. It's not my place to say who is right or wrong. My safest and still truthful answer would be; there is typicaly more than one reason for one's disposition and therefore may be even more than just what Sagan alone says.
Some hastily made statements especially of the Bible; He says "the Bible is quite clear about the earth being flat", but understandingly has no citations since it doesn't really say so anywhere (the Bible never says the earth is the center of the universe or is 6000 years old either, by the way). To the contrary the Bible says the earth is round. (Job 26:7 and Isaiah 40:22). He also discredits Jesus for inspiring the "Golden Rule" saying Rabbi Hillel and Buddha said it first. Hillel was just slightly after Jesus' years and his words were "What is hateful to thee do not to anyone else". Buddha was the same jyst, in the negative..don't do the bad that you wouldn't want done to you. Jesus original statement was to the positive.."DO unto others as you would want them to do to you". Possitive action as oposed to not doing the negative. Sorry Dr. Sagan. He glosses other religious issues just the same. He also complains the Bible says nothing uniquely scientific like "The sun is a star" or "A body in motion tends to stay in motion" or "This is an electric field, this is a magnetic field" thus "therefore deduce the existance of God". As I mentioned the Bible does speak about the earth being round. I suspect if such phrases Sagan wished to see were really in the Bible, they would be typically explained off one way or another as misinterpreted, or the original writings never said that, or spurious as in the case of Josephus' mentioning of Jesus (as Sagan highlights). The Bible never mentions the pyramids, Zeus, Hercules and many things. The Bible's focus is on the promised Messiah, in which it covers very amply.
Dr Sagan basically expects God to be what he thinks God should be (creating God in Sagan's image?) But since God isn't what Sagan thinks He should be, He can't be real; not an unusual way of atheistic thinking. He suprisingly does touch on the LAW of Thermodynamics; "it's by no means clear" (especially as clear as its oposing THEORY of evolution?) He's heavy on expresions such as "almost surely", almost certainly", "perfectly possible", "perfectly plausible", "We have an alternative explanation that seems to work pretty well."
On Newton..."He believed God established the intitial conditions for the planets....And Newton, who was extraordinarily perceptive in so many areas, was clearly not here." Right, Dr. Sagan.
He many times retricts and limits possibilities to two or so when there are obvioulsy many more options, including the possibility - God. Yes Dr. Sagan offers explanations on many things demonstrating if man can understand it, so could God. This book actually endorses my belief in God (not that I needed it). I believe his series "Cosmos" is one of the best things that ever hit television. He's done a lot in the life sadly cut short. Mostly his respect was/is an example for many to follow undisputably!
P.S. Lots of room in the margin for comments! That's why I still buy books!
Sagan is engaging and illuminating
Book report: The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God, by Carl Sagan
In The Republic, Plato proposes government by philosopher-kings, benevolent and wise dictators who would rule justly and fairly. I would have nominated Carl Sagan to be a philosopher-king. He wasn't just a smart guy in his own field (planetary astronomy and exobiology). He was erudite in a number of fields, an expert teacher and popularizer of science, and had what I consider wisdom. He also seemed to appreciate people and the human condition. In my experience, this is unusual in scientists. Sagan also had a characteristic and vivid style both in speech and in writing that makes all his books entertaining and illuminating to read.
This particular book is the edited transcript of the Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology ([...]) that Sagan delivered in 1985 (the same year he wrote Contact, one of my favorite books and movies). The Gifford Lectures were endowed by a Lord Gifford in Scotland in 1887 to address "natural theology," that is, the study of God based on reason and ordinary human experience, with no reference to sacred writings ([...]). Selection to deliver the Gifford Lectures is a signal honor, and the list of lecturers is a Who's Who of modern scientists, philosophers, and theologians, including Paul Tillich, Hannah Arendt, Freeman Dyson, William James, Henri Bergson, Arthur Eddington, Alfred North Whitehead, John Dewey, Albert Schweitzer, Reinhold Niebuhr, Niels Bohr, Arnold Toynbee, Iris Murdoch, J. B. S. Haldane, Richard Dawkins, Werner Heisenberg, Roger Penrose, and Martin Rees. The title of the book is, of course, a play on William James's own famous book, The Varieties of Religious Experience.
In his lectures, Sagan explored themes and aspects of God from the viewpoint of science and the rational. Although he disclaimed the label of atheist, Sagan was extremely doubtful, stating elsewhere that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". However, Sagan is a congenial and even courtly host who is always respectful to those who do believe in God. This is in marked contrast to others (cough, Dawkins, cough) who regard believers as, at best, dangerous and delusional morons.
One of the delights of this book is how Sagan brings his own field to bear on the topic. For example, in the very first lecture he wonders: given the now-known immensity of the universe, with all the billions upon billions of stars and planets, why would God single out the Earth for special treatment? He invites us to expand whatever our theology is to encompass the entire universe.
In reading this book, his words are more than just printed on the page. We can hear him speaking them in his well-known voice. In fact, he seems to be inviting a dialog. Many times I found myself agreeing with him totally or appreciating a particularly telling expression of an idea. At other times, I felt like saying, "Come on, Carl, you don't really believe that." There are many parts that are very funny, such as his recounting - and demolishing - the main "logical" arguments for the existence of God. He's extremely witty about the guy-with-a-white-beard-in-the-sky vision of God that many people conjure up.
I learned a lot from his research. For example, he points out that belief in God can depend on how you define God. For example, Spinoza and Einstein imagined God as the sum total of all the rules that govern the universe. As long as you believe in the laws of physics (or, at least, that there *are* laws of physics), you believe in God. From this point of view, no one is an atheist. However, this is not the kind of God one would pray to, and differs from most people's conception of God. Everyone has a God they don't believe in.
He brings up plenty of ideas I find myself countering:
* As science advances, the need for God to explain things diminishes.
* Religion exists to pacify people and make them obey authority. "How rare it is that religions take the lead in confronting civilian authorities when monstrous injustice is being done."
* The religious experience may have a molecular basis in brain chemistry, the evolutionary purpose of which would be to pacify people and have them obey authority.
I find these ideas exciting. Good teacher that he is, he gets people to think.
One thing that I found most astonishing is that it doesn't occur to this consummate scientist to perform the experiment and report on his results. What could be simpler than to pray even a blisteringly satirical prayer for a month or two and see what happens?
However, I found his discussion about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life, and its impact on theology, to be fascinating. I think that here he has made a unique contribution to the discussion. The idea is this: If there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, then clearly our vision of God is far too narrow. To mention only one aspect, if there is such intelligent life elsewhere, would they also have their own version of Buddha, Moses, Jesus, or Mohammed? (Ray Bradbury actually wrote a short story on this topic.) If they don't, why did this happen only on Earth? On the other hand, if it turns out that there is no intelligent life anywhere else, then the Earth really is of supreme importance in the scheme of things. It's an amazing fact that future discoveries regarding extraterrestrial life will have immediate implications for theology.
If you have any interest at all in these kinds of topics, you'll find this book illuminating and entertaining. It's a pity that Sagan didn't live to see this published. It's a tribute to his wisdom and his wit.
[...]
a fascinating tour of space, time, and our quest for understanding
Reading this book, with its high quality images, I felt like I was attending the lectures. His ideas are so well stated, so eloquent, that it's hard to believe that these words were delivered in a lecture setting.
Sagan presents a breathtaking vision of the universe.
A thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating read. Well explained and accessible.
Rediscovering a Brilliant Mind
20 years after his death, Carl Sagan published his latest book. Varieties of Scientific Experience is a series of lectures in which Sagan gave his views on the existence of god and the meaning of life. Sagan's views are mostly in line with those of the New Atheists (Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Dennett), but his scientific background gives him a unique and valuable perspective. The first lecture begins with Sagan describing how small the earth is in comparison to the rest of the universe, and how small a role humans have played, even in the history of the earth. He then asks: Does it make sense that an all-powerful and all knowing god created the universe as a home for us? Are we really the center of the universe?
Despite his background as a scientist, Sagan has a wonderful way with words. These lectures are very readable, and it is hard not to come away both liking and respecting Sagan. He may have been gone for over 20 years now, but Carl Sagan is still a valuable voice with a great deal to teach us.
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