Knowledge: The Sagan Series - End of an Era: The Final Shuttle Launch

Carl Sagan discusses the importance of stimulating a new generation of scientists.

Photo by Ben Benvie

"Every time humanity stretches itself it receives a jolt of productive vitality that can carry it for centuries"

Carl Sagan

The Day Carl Sagan Died

"We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." - Carl

It’s been 14 years since Carl Sagan died at the age of 62 on December 20, 1996.

The 14th Dalai Lama on Neurology, Secularism, Compassion, Technology, Affection, Inner Peace

October 14, 2010 at Stanford University
The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) speaks on the centrality of compassion at Stanford University. He repeatedly stressed a secular approach to compassion that reaches beyond individual creeds and beliefs. He spoke of the need for mutual respect and friendship, the care and education of children, and ongoing dialogue for conflict resolution.

Apart from his religious discourses with leading practitioners from traditions like Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, Tenzin Gyatso's long-standing interest in science and technology leads him to discussions with scientists from around the world on topics ranging from cognitive neurology to physics.


"We all have the desire to achieve happy life. And everyone have right to achieve happy life."


"Genuine friendship on the basis of trust. Trust. Come from openness. Transparent. Honest. Then trust come. On the basis of trust real friendship come."


"All religion is stemming from basic human good quality. Basic human values are secular values."

Dalai Lama and Carl Sagan in 1991

"My parent illiterate. Uneducated. Just a villager. A farmer. But, very very compassionate."

"So therefor Buddhist blessing may be there, but Buddhist blessing must go through human hand- human action. So therefor, I believe, last several thousand years, we just praying, but, not satisfactory result. "

"Now something changing now. Not only material sort of development, but internal development is equally important."


Q&A starts at about 48 minutes




Stanford University:
http://www.stanford.edu/

Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford:
http://ccare.stanford.edu/node

Dalai Lama Home:
http://www.dalailama.com/

Charter for Compassion:
http://charterforcompassion.org/

Knowledge: Connection, Compassion and the Pale Blue Dot

Compassion allows us to use our own pain and the pain of others as a vehicle for connection.

Happy Birthday Charles Darwin

February 12th is Charles Darwin's birthday.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change"
— Charles Darwin

"If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once a week."
— Charles Darwin

"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we would expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference. "
— Charles Darwin


Darwin's Theory of Evolution was considered "dangerous" in his time, and suffers from many misconceptions today.

Why was/is this theory considered "dangerous"?
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection was considered dangerous in 19th-century England because it threatened the prevailing views of the Anglican Church and society at large. If extrapolated beyond its role as a scientific theory, it seemed to run counter to the notion of humankind's supremacy and God's hand in the world order. The same fear exists today. Evolution can seem to be in direct conflict with deeply held belief systems of how life came to exist on Earth. (From PBS)

Carl Sagan briefly describes the course of evolution:


More videos of Carl Sagan regarding Evolution, from the popular Cosmos series:





Frequently Asked Questions About Evolution from PBS