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Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos
The first biography of the best-known scientist of his generation and the author of the best-seller Cosmos.
In this, the first full-scale examination of the life of Carl Sagan, award-winning science writer William Poundstone details the transformation of a bookish young astronomer obsessed with life on other worlds into science's first authentic media superstar. As a fixture on television and a bestselling author, Sagan became instantly recognizable. To people around the world, he offered entrée into the mysteries of the cosmos and of science in general. To much of the scientific community, though, he was something of a pariah, a brazen publicity seeker who cared more about his image and his fortune than the advancement of science. Poundstone reveals the seldom-discussed aspects of Sagan's life, the legitimate and important work of his early scientific career, the almost obsessive capacity to take on less projects, the multiple marriages and fractured tumultuous personal life-all essential elements of this complicated and extraordinary man, truly the first and most famous scientist of the media age.
In this, the first full-scale examination of the life of Carl Sagan, award-winning science writer William Poundstone details the transformation of a bookish young astronomer obsessed with life on other worlds into science's first authentic media superstar. As a fixture on television and a bestselling author, Sagan became instantly recognizable. To people around the world, he offered entrée into the mysteries of the cosmos and of science in general. To much of the scientific community, though, he was something of a pariah, a brazen publicity seeker who cared more about his image and his fortune than the advancement of science. Poundstone reveals the seldom-discussed aspects of Sagan's life, the legitimate and important work of his early scientific career, the almost obsessive capacity to take on less projects, the multiple marriages and fractured tumultuous personal life-all essential elements of this complicated and extraordinary man, truly the first and most famous scientist of the media age.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
31 people are currently reading
1703 people want to read
About the author
William Poundstone
55 books367 followersWilliam Poundstone is the author of more than ten non-fiction books, including 'Fortune's Formula', which was the Amazon Editors' Pick for #1 non-fiction book of 2005. Poundstone has written for The New York Times, Psychology Today, Esquire, Harpers, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. He has appeared on the Today Show, The David Letterman Show and hundreds of radio talk-shows throughout the world. Poundstone studied physics at MIT and many of his ideas concern the social and financial impact of scientific ideas. His books have sold over half a million copies worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 1, 2018
Carl Sagan es un personaje histórico que ha cautivado a millones de personas con su forma de entender la ciencia. Esta biografía de William Poundstone hace un recorrido por esta vida tan peculiar con gran detalle en sus éxitos científicos.
Quizás a ratos se hace pesado, con indagaciones demasiado profundas en sus aventuras científicas.
Quizás a ratos se hace pesado, con indagaciones demasiado profundas en sus aventuras científicas.
December 20, 2017
If you are into astronomy, planetary science, and skepticism, the name Carl Sagan would frequently appear in the texts you're reading or the videos you're watching. Carl Sagan was an astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and especially science popularizer. He made his name known by his enthusiasm in explaining scientific concepts in interesting pieces that could be picked up by non-scientist audience, especially the young. His poetic explanations and endless imaginations captured many people's attention and influenced many children and teenagers to peruse their careers in science and technology.
"Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos" is a biography of Carl written by William Poundstone. We explore his life from when he was young boy captivated by the nature of stars - the big balls of gases just like our Sun, but far far away. As soon as he was told that be could be paid to be an astronomer interrogating the Universe, his future was set.
Apart from his career as professor in Harvard and later Cornell, Carl Sagan was an important figure in SETI, Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. By this status, we would presume he believed in flying saucers and human abductions, but as much as he wanted to confirm the existence of the extraterrestrials, he rigorously questioned everything; he usually said, "extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidence," and this philosophy was what he lived by until the end of his life. However, he was usually the one that gave new ideas a chance to emerge and not easily dismissed them just because they were different from his belief. For example, when Carl worked in NASA's Viking I and II mission, he was among the first to be excited by the idea of living microbes being on Mars, the idea that was dismissed by many people. Despite the negative result against the evidence of the Martians, his optimism about extraterrestrial life still didn't die out.
Perhaps the most important thing Carl Sagain did for the scientific community was to raise the awareness of the importance of science and technology in human world. To the public, science was for old white men in laboratories and normal people would not be able to understand it, but he tried to show them differently. His television series "Cosmos" was watched by half a billion people worldwide, increasing the public's interest in science and encouraging young people to embark on the similar career.
Another contribution Carl Sagan did to our society was to challenge superstition and pseudo-science. He didn't immediately dismiss the possibility of those events happening in our world, but the evidence to support their claims are weak and could be proven wrong by science. In his words, “for me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”
Perhaps the least well-known role he played was his stand against the nuclear war that was on the brink of reality caused by the two superpowers during the Cold War. He and his colleagues did a research on this issue and predict that a nuclear winter would follow regional nuclear wars that could cause catastrophe, especially famine worldwide. Although it turned out that the prediction was not as accurate as it would be in real life, the danger of nuclear winter was still a possibility that could devastate human population. Partly due to his loud concern and actions against the nuclear war and his closeness with the Russians, people from both sides acknowledged the dangers and started understanding and opposing against this madness.
Some scientists disliked Carl Sagan and refused to vote for him to be the member of the Academy of Science, and their reason was Carl didn't do enough science in his career. I am not a scientist (yet), but being the first to predict Venus's atmospheric temperature and the reasons behind it, being among the first to hypothesize the ocean of liquid compounds on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan (which was later confirmed by Galileo spacecraft), correctly predicting the seasonal change in Mars causing the color change, being among the first to do a research and experiments on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and many more are quite enough to make Sagan a proper scientist.
Carl Sagan might have a successful career and a happy third marriage, but his first two marriages and the relationship with one of his children were not what he wanted.
I've admired many people in the past and present, but I never consider them my "idol;" Carl Sagan is the exception. After reading his 13 books, I managed to alter myself to be a more curious, humble, and open-minded but not too much that my brain falls out. His "Pale Blue Dot" speech remains the single most touching and mind blowing writing I've ever heard, and if there is one speech I want every one to listen, it would be that one. Below is the speech I referred to:
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
This book alone is not enough to reveal how important Carl Sagan was. Only after one watched his series and read his books that one would be able to get the whole picture of why people consider Carl Sagan as one of a great homo sepiens. We don't worship Carl Sagan, but we thank him for his contribution to our understanding of the Universe and his hard work to take science out of the laboratories to the public for non-scientist audiences to enjoy the beauty of nature, too.
Twenty one years ago today, Carl Sagan left the Earth, but his enthusiasm and curiousity are still with people who want to learn science, to question the Universe, to wonder what is out there waiting to be discovered, and to be awed by the beauty of nature. So when we ask, "where are you, Carl?" Carl is still here.
P.S. I want to express my hearitest appreciation to my idiot Sok Sovanratha for buying this book for me, and my parents for paying it.
More book review at https://menglongstarstuff.wordpress.com
"Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos" is a biography of Carl written by William Poundstone. We explore his life from when he was young boy captivated by the nature of stars - the big balls of gases just like our Sun, but far far away. As soon as he was told that be could be paid to be an astronomer interrogating the Universe, his future was set.
Apart from his career as professor in Harvard and later Cornell, Carl Sagan was an important figure in SETI, Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. By this status, we would presume he believed in flying saucers and human abductions, but as much as he wanted to confirm the existence of the extraterrestrials, he rigorously questioned everything; he usually said, "extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidence," and this philosophy was what he lived by until the end of his life. However, he was usually the one that gave new ideas a chance to emerge and not easily dismissed them just because they were different from his belief. For example, when Carl worked in NASA's Viking I and II mission, he was among the first to be excited by the idea of living microbes being on Mars, the idea that was dismissed by many people. Despite the negative result against the evidence of the Martians, his optimism about extraterrestrial life still didn't die out.
Perhaps the most important thing Carl Sagain did for the scientific community was to raise the awareness of the importance of science and technology in human world. To the public, science was for old white men in laboratories and normal people would not be able to understand it, but he tried to show them differently. His television series "Cosmos" was watched by half a billion people worldwide, increasing the public's interest in science and encouraging young people to embark on the similar career.
Another contribution Carl Sagan did to our society was to challenge superstition and pseudo-science. He didn't immediately dismiss the possibility of those events happening in our world, but the evidence to support their claims are weak and could be proven wrong by science. In his words, “for me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”
Perhaps the least well-known role he played was his stand against the nuclear war that was on the brink of reality caused by the two superpowers during the Cold War. He and his colleagues did a research on this issue and predict that a nuclear winter would follow regional nuclear wars that could cause catastrophe, especially famine worldwide. Although it turned out that the prediction was not as accurate as it would be in real life, the danger of nuclear winter was still a possibility that could devastate human population. Partly due to his loud concern and actions against the nuclear war and his closeness with the Russians, people from both sides acknowledged the dangers and started understanding and opposing against this madness.
Some scientists disliked Carl Sagan and refused to vote for him to be the member of the Academy of Science, and their reason was Carl didn't do enough science in his career. I am not a scientist (yet), but being the first to predict Venus's atmospheric temperature and the reasons behind it, being among the first to hypothesize the ocean of liquid compounds on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan (which was later confirmed by Galileo spacecraft), correctly predicting the seasonal change in Mars causing the color change, being among the first to do a research and experiments on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and many more are quite enough to make Sagan a proper scientist.
Carl Sagan might have a successful career and a happy third marriage, but his first two marriages and the relationship with one of his children were not what he wanted.
I've admired many people in the past and present, but I never consider them my "idol;" Carl Sagan is the exception. After reading his 13 books, I managed to alter myself to be a more curious, humble, and open-minded but not too much that my brain falls out. His "Pale Blue Dot" speech remains the single most touching and mind blowing writing I've ever heard, and if there is one speech I want every one to listen, it would be that one. Below is the speech I referred to:
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
This book alone is not enough to reveal how important Carl Sagan was. Only after one watched his series and read his books that one would be able to get the whole picture of why people consider Carl Sagan as one of a great homo sepiens. We don't worship Carl Sagan, but we thank him for his contribution to our understanding of the Universe and his hard work to take science out of the laboratories to the public for non-scientist audiences to enjoy the beauty of nature, too.
Twenty one years ago today, Carl Sagan left the Earth, but his enthusiasm and curiousity are still with people who want to learn science, to question the Universe, to wonder what is out there waiting to be discovered, and to be awed by the beauty of nature. So when we ask, "where are you, Carl?" Carl is still here.
P.S. I want to express my hearitest appreciation to my idiot Sok Sovanratha for buying this book for me, and my parents for paying it.
More book review at https://menglongstarstuff.wordpress.com
March 2, 2016
ამ წიგნის წაკითხვა დიდი ხანია მინდოდა. წელიწადზე მეტი მიცდიდა თაროზე და როგორც იქნა დადგა მისი დრო.
მინდოდა ახლოს გავცნობოდი იმ კაცის ცხოვრებას, რომელმაც მილიონობით ადამიანს შთააგონა მეცნიერების, სკეპტიციზმის, სამყაროს გრანდიოზულობის სიყვარული, ვინც ფართო მასებამდე მიიტანა ის სპირიტუალური და ღრმა აღფრთოვანება, რაც ცოდნას და მეცნიერულ პერსპექტივას მოაქვს.
სეიგანს არანაკლები გავლენა აქვს ჩემს შეხედულებებზე და აზროვნებაზე. მან გააღვიძა ჩემი ბავშვობის აღფრთოვანება ვარსკვლავებისადმი, უცნობი მიწებისა და ადგილებისადმი. პირადად ჩემთვის სეიგანმა არამხატვრული ლიტერატურით მოახერხა ის რისი პატივიც არ ჰქონია არც ერთ მხატვრული ლიტერატურის ავტორს.
რადგან სეიგანის წიგნების უმეტესობა წამიკითხავს, წარმოდგენა მქონდა მის ბიოგრაფიულ ისტორიებზე, მაგრამ აღმოჩნდა რამ ბევრი არ მცოდნია.
წიგნი ინფორმატიულია, მიუხედავად იმისა რომ ძირითადად მშრალად არის წარმოდგენილი ყველა ის პირი ვინც სეიგანის გარემოს ქმნიდა.
საინტერესო აღმოჩენებიც გავაკეთე: მაგალითად სეიგანის დამოკიდებულება მარიხუანაზე, (აქტიური მწეველი ყოფილა) მისი მეგობრის ლესტერ გრინსპუნის წიგნი მარიხუანას შესახებ რომლიც 60-70-იანების მარიხუანის დეკრიმინალიზაციის მოძრაობის ბიბლია გახდა, სადაც სეიგანი ანონიმურად აღწერს საკუთარ გამოცდილებას და ჰალუცინაციებს. ასევე უცნობი იყო ჩემთვის მისი პირველი მეუღლის ვინაობა - ლინ მარგულისი- არანაკლებ საინტერესო და მნიშვნელოვანი მეცნიერი, ბიოლოგი, რომელსაც ეკუთვნის ჩემთვის ძალზედ საინტერესო აღმოჩენები- სიმბიოზი, (როგორც ევოლუციური ძალა) და ჰიპოთეზა გაია
სასიამოვნო იყო იმ თემების და ისტორიების წაკითხვა რაზეც ძალიან ყურმოკრული და ბუნდოვანი წარმოდგენა მქონდა, როგორიც არის, ბიურაკანის კონფერენცია სომხეთში, გრინ ბენკი, დრეიკის ფორმულის დაბადება, სეიგანის და აზიმოვის ურთიერთობა. ასევე არტურ კლარკთან, 2001 კოსმოსური ოდისეა და ა.შ.
პიონერის და ვოიაჯერის მესიჯის შედგენა და რჩეული მუსიკის და სურათების შერჩევის პროცესი, მათ შორის ჩაკრულოს ამბავი.
საინტერესო იყო აგრეთვე სეიგანის ურთიერთობა საბჭოთა კავშირთან და რუს მეცნიერებთან, სეიგანის როლი ცივი ომის დამთავრებაში, და ბირთვული განიარაღების დასაწყისში.
კარგად არის წარმოჩენილი სეიგანის დამოკიდებულება, რომელსაც ის კოსმოსში შემდეგი სიტყვებით გამოხატავს To find the truth, we need imagination and skepticism both. მისი წარმოსახვის უნარი, ხელს არ უშლის მისივე სკეპტიციზმს. წარმოსახვა ქმნის "მაკრობებს" (მიკრობის საპირისპირო) და "პოლარულ დათვებს" მარსზე, გიგანტურ მედუზებს იუპიტერზე (არტურ კლარკის მოთხრობა "შეხვედრა მედუზასთან" ამ უცნაური თეორიის გამოძახილია)
მიუხედავად მთელი ამ საინტერესო ინფორმაციებისა, ვფიქრობ გაცილებით მეტი მუშაობა მართებდა ავტორს, სეიგანის ფსიქოლოგიური პორტრეტის საჩვენებლად. იმ აღფრთოვანების და პერსპექტივის საჩვენებლად, რომლის გადმოცემასაც თავად სეიგანი შესანიშნავად ახერხებდა. საინტერესო იქნებოდა პირადი ცხოვრების და შეხედულებების უფრო ღრმა წარმოჩენა. მაგალითად იყო რამდენიმე საინტერესო საკვანძო მომენტი კარლის და მისი უფროსი ვაჟის დორიონის ურთიერთობიდან, სადაც მათი ინტელექტუალური შეხედულებების განსხვავება და პირადი ურთიერთობის დაძაბულობა გამოვლინდა, ძალიან კარგი იქნებოდა თუ ავტორი ამ თემას უფრო ღრმად გამოიკვლევდა.
საერთო ჯამში მიმაჩნია რომ სეიგანი უკეთეს ბიოგრაფიას იმსახურებს, საინტერესო ინფორმაციების გვერდით, შესამჩნევია პიროვნების ანალიზის არასაკმარისი სიღრმე.
მინდოდა ახლოს გავცნობოდი იმ კაცის ცხოვრებას, რომელმაც მილიონობით ადამიანს შთააგონა მეცნიერების, სკეპტიციზმის, სამყაროს გრანდიოზულობის სიყვარული, ვინც ფართო მასებამდე მიიტანა ის სპირიტუალური და ღრმა აღფრთოვანება, რაც ცოდნას და მეცნიერულ პერსპექტივას მოაქვს.
სეიგანს არანაკლები გავლენა აქვს ჩემს შეხედულებებზე და აზროვნებაზე. მან გააღვიძა ჩემი ბავშვობის აღფრთოვანება ვარსკვლავებისადმი, უცნობი მიწებისა და ადგილებისადმი. პირადად ჩემთვის სეიგანმა არამხატვრული ლიტერატურით მოახერხა ის რისი პატივიც არ ჰქონია არც ერთ მხატვრული ლიტერატურის ავტორს.
რადგან სეიგანის წიგნების უმეტესობა წამიკითხავს, წარმოდგენა მქონდა მის ბიოგრაფიულ ისტორიებზე, მაგრამ აღმოჩნდა რამ ბევრი არ მცოდნია.
წიგნი ინფორმატიულია, მიუხედავად იმისა რომ ძირითადად მშრალად არის წარმოდგენილი ყველა ის პირი ვინც სეიგანის გარემოს ქმნიდა.
საინტერესო აღმოჩენებიც გავაკეთე: მაგალითად სეიგანის დამოკიდებულება მარიხუანაზე, (აქტიური მწეველი ყოფილა) მისი მეგობრის ლესტერ გრინსპუნის წიგნი მარიხუანას შესახებ რომლიც 60-70-იანების მარიხუანის დეკრიმინალიზაციის მოძრაობის ბიბლია გახდა, სადაც სეიგანი ანონიმურად აღწერს საკუთარ გამოცდილებას და ჰალუცინაციებს. ასევე უცნობი იყო ჩემთვის მისი პირველი მეუღლის ვინაობა - ლინ მარგულისი- არანაკლებ საინტერესო და მნიშვნელოვანი მეცნიერი, ბიოლოგი, რომელსაც ეკუთვნის ჩემთვის ძალზედ საინტერესო აღმოჩენები- სიმბიოზი, (როგორც ევოლუციური ძალა) და ჰიპოთეზა გაია
სასიამოვნო იყო იმ თემების და ისტორიების წაკითხვა რაზეც ძალიან ყურმოკრული და ბუნდოვანი წარმოდგენა მქონდა, როგორიც არის, ბიურაკანის კონფერენცია სომხეთში, გრინ ბენკი, დრეიკის ფორმულის დაბადება, სეიგანის და აზიმოვის ურთიერთობა. ასევე არტურ კლარკთან, 2001 კოსმოსური ოდისეა და ა.შ.
პიონერის და ვოიაჯერის მესიჯის შედგენა და რჩეული მუსიკის და სურათების შერჩევის პროცესი, მათ შორის ჩაკრულოს ამბავი.
საინტერესო იყო აგრეთვე სეიგანის ურთიერთობა საბჭოთა კავშირთან და რუს მეცნიერებთან, სეიგანის როლი ცივი ომის დამთავრებაში, და ბირთვული განიარაღების დასაწყისში.
კარგად არის წარმოჩენილი სეიგანის დამოკიდებულება, რომელსაც ის კოსმოსში შემდეგი სიტყვებით გამოხატავს To find the truth, we need imagination and skepticism both. მისი წარმოსახვის უნარი, ხელს არ უშლის მისივე სკეპტიციზმს. წარმოსახვა ქმნის "მაკრობებს" (მიკრობის საპირისპირო) და "პოლარულ დათვებს" მარსზე, გიგანტურ მედუზებს იუპიტერზე (არტურ კლარკის მოთხრობა "შეხვედრა მედუზასთან" ამ უცნაური თეორიის გამოძახილია)
მიუხედავად მთელი ამ საინტერესო ინფორმაციებისა, ვფიქრობ გაცილებით მეტი მუშაობა მართებდა ავტორს, სეიგანის ფსიქოლოგიური პორტრეტის საჩვენებლად. იმ აღფრთოვანების და პერსპექტივის საჩვენებლად, რომლის გადმოცემასაც თავად სეიგანი შესანიშნავად ახერხებდა. საინტერესო იქნებოდა პირადი ცხოვრების და შეხედულებების უფრო ღრმა წარმოჩენა. მაგალითად იყო რამდენიმე საინტერესო საკვანძო მომენტი კარლის და მისი უფროსი ვაჟის დორიონის ურთიერთობიდან, სადაც მათი ინტელექტუალური შეხედულებების განსხვავება და პირადი ურთიერთობის დაძაბულობა გამოვლინდა, ძალიან კარგი იქნებოდა თუ ავტორი ამ თემას უფრო ღრმად გამოიკვლევდა.
საერთო ჯამში მიმაჩნია რომ სეიგანი უკეთეს ბიოგრაფიას იმსახურებს, საინტერესო ინფორმაციების გვერდით, შესამჩნევია პიროვნების ანალიზის არასაკმარისი სიღრმე.
March 2, 2008
Carl Sagan someone I respect a great deal. I love smart scientists who make it their mission to interpret science to the world at large. This biography is well wrtitten and includes a great deal about his warts as well as his virtues. He could be arrogant and at times held ideas that seem somewhat ridiculous - such as his idea that their might be mammals such as polar bears on Mars. He was a man of imagination and sometimes one got in the way of the other although mostly they worked really well together and gave us a man who had interesting things to say about mankind, consciousness, and of course the cosmos. He was an atheist and his frank goodbye to his wife when dying, too soon, in 1996 is touching. He knows it it highly unlikely he will see her, or anyone again. Reading this biography made me want to re-read his books. We miss you Carl.
Malcolm Watts BA MSW
VISIT MY WRITING WEBSITE WWW.AUTHORSDEN.COM/MALCOLMWATTS
Malcolm Watts BA MSW
VISIT MY WRITING WEBSITE WWW.AUTHORSDEN.COM/MALCOLMWATTS
August 21, 2019
Uma vida apaixonante. Carl Sagan deixou-nos demasiado cedo...
Graças a ele as estrelas e os planetas ficaram mais próximos, e até este "pale blue dot" se tornou mais compreensível para nós.
Pioneiro de muitos sonhos ousados, Carl Sagan é por excelência a prova que podemos entender do universo, como entendemos de amor ou música.
Vale a pena ler este livro. Vale a pena conhecer Carl Sagan.
Graças a ele as estrelas e os planetas ficaram mais próximos, e até este "pale blue dot" se tornou mais compreensível para nós.
Pioneiro de muitos sonhos ousados, Carl Sagan é por excelência a prova que podemos entender do universo, como entendemos de amor ou música.
Vale a pena ler este livro. Vale a pena conhecer Carl Sagan.
February 4, 2022
Una biografía promenorizada de unos de los más grandes divulgadores científicos de la Historia. Al parecer, muchos de sus compañeros, amigos, e incluso su última esposa revisaron este trabajo y dieron mayor veracidad a todo lo contado. El autor desvela gran cantidad de detalles tanto de la vida personal como profesional de Sagan, todo muy bien contextualizado y sin omitir los aspectos más negativos.
March 17, 2016
Me ha sorprendido mucho este libro averiguando más curiosidades de Carl Sagan. Tienes la imagen de una persona hasta que lees muchas interioridades sobre él. Era, como todos, una persona; pero una persona que buscaba por todos los medios la vida fuera de la Tierra. Apostando por todo lo que podía haber. Es un libro muy largo, de casi 500 páginas, así que si empezáis a leerlo, armaos de paciencia.
February 7, 2008
I love Carl like no other, but this book was so damn dry, I had a hard time keeping with it. I eventually gave up about halfway through. For someone reknown for his writing style, this book doesn't do him justice.
November 13, 2018
Biografia algo prolija en detalles sobre la actividad profesional de Sagan y la percepcion que de el tuvieron sus colegas, familiares y contemporaneos. Tipica biografia escrita por alguien que no conoció, o no lo hizo en profundidad, al biografiado.
Sorprendente lo implicado que estuvo Sagan en las misiones interplanetarias de la NASA, lo osado que era en lanzar hipotesis mas propias de un autor de ciencia ficcion que de un sesudo cientifico al uso, pero siempre apoyando sus arriesgadas hipotesis en un razonamiento de inspiracion cientifica. Tuvo estrecha relacion con los mejores autores de la ciencia ficcion, Clarke y Asimov. Su imaginación para generar hipótesis condicionó mucho su carrera profesional cientifica, denegandosele por ejemplo la titularidad en Harvard y la pertenencia a la sociedad americana de ciencias. Desato grandes amores y odios, algo propio del líder de opinion y movilizador de masas que fue. Con relaciones en la URSS desde muy temprano, en cierto modo condiciono la estrategia militar americana y el fin de la guerra fria.
Fue machista, exigía de sus esposas atención total no parando hasta encontrar en su tercera esposa una mujer para la cual el era el centro del mundo; quizá demasiado egotista y duro en su critica personal con personas de su circulo personal, a menudo perdió grandes amigos, e incluso algunos de sus hijos.
Para algunos de los que vimos embelesados su serie televisiva Cosmos a principios de los 80 esta biografía pone en perspectiva a Sagan en aquel tiempo ya lejano de la carrera espacial y la guerra fría. Recordando los grandiosos y optimistas sueños de entonces, éramos jóvenes, y lamentando las pacatas y pesimistas visiones distópicas de la sociedad actual, he pasado unos buenos ratos leyendo esta biografía del viejo Carl Sagan que tan pronto nos dejó.
Sorprendente lo implicado que estuvo Sagan en las misiones interplanetarias de la NASA, lo osado que era en lanzar hipotesis mas propias de un autor de ciencia ficcion que de un sesudo cientifico al uso, pero siempre apoyando sus arriesgadas hipotesis en un razonamiento de inspiracion cientifica. Tuvo estrecha relacion con los mejores autores de la ciencia ficcion, Clarke y Asimov. Su imaginación para generar hipótesis condicionó mucho su carrera profesional cientifica, denegandosele por ejemplo la titularidad en Harvard y la pertenencia a la sociedad americana de ciencias. Desato grandes amores y odios, algo propio del líder de opinion y movilizador de masas que fue. Con relaciones en la URSS desde muy temprano, en cierto modo condiciono la estrategia militar americana y el fin de la guerra fria.
Fue machista, exigía de sus esposas atención total no parando hasta encontrar en su tercera esposa una mujer para la cual el era el centro del mundo; quizá demasiado egotista y duro en su critica personal con personas de su circulo personal, a menudo perdió grandes amigos, e incluso algunos de sus hijos.
Para algunos de los que vimos embelesados su serie televisiva Cosmos a principios de los 80 esta biografía pone en perspectiva a Sagan en aquel tiempo ya lejano de la carrera espacial y la guerra fría. Recordando los grandiosos y optimistas sueños de entonces, éramos jóvenes, y lamentando las pacatas y pesimistas visiones distópicas de la sociedad actual, he pasado unos buenos ratos leyendo esta biografía del viejo Carl Sagan que tan pronto nos dejó.
April 26, 2020
I didn't previously know quite a lot of what the author William Poundstone chooses to reveal in this exposé about Carl Sagan. And soon, if you choose to pick it up yourself, you will know it, as well.
For example, I never heard CS say, "If a scientist identifies his self-esteem too closely with theories he proposes, then, when the theory is demolished - as many theories are - the person is also demolished." (And my own have been, as well, it is true, most often by those closest to me. The best way to carry on, I think, is to act as if nothing happened to your ego, no matter how fragile!)
This populariser of science goes on, but to read more, you must attain your own copy!
So stop licking at old wounds. They've probably healed by now, and if you try to bring up those old theories, AGAIN, I have found I've been accused of uselessness. I mean, dinosaurs are a cool theory, but that theory is ancient history. Wait wait wait no - that's a little different that's a useful theory and there are bones &c from particularly the previous eras, the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods! Hold on a second!
Then again, you don't want to reinvent the wheel either, so the best way out is to make a consultation appointment with the one whom you are most unsure about as soon as it is safe.
Honestly, I started reading serious books at age six with Carl Sagan and a big reference manual, so seeing this now pleased me unbelievably since it brought back such happy memories.
For example, I never heard CS say, "If a scientist identifies his self-esteem too closely with theories he proposes, then, when the theory is demolished - as many theories are - the person is also demolished." (And my own have been, as well, it is true, most often by those closest to me. The best way to carry on, I think, is to act as if nothing happened to your ego, no matter how fragile!)
This populariser of science goes on, but to read more, you must attain your own copy!
So stop licking at old wounds. They've probably healed by now, and if you try to bring up those old theories, AGAIN, I have found I've been accused of uselessness. I mean, dinosaurs are a cool theory, but that theory is ancient history. Wait wait wait no - that's a little different that's a useful theory and there are bones &c from particularly the previous eras, the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods! Hold on a second!
Then again, you don't want to reinvent the wheel either, so the best way out is to make a consultation appointment with the one whom you are most unsure about as soon as it is safe.
Honestly, I started reading serious books at age six with Carl Sagan and a big reference manual, so seeing this now pleased me unbelievably since it brought back such happy memories.
July 4, 2023
I've admired Sagan so long that I finally read his biography. (there are at least 2 others, but I have only read this one. Most of what I learned in this book increased my admiration for him, and a few things may have brought him down to Earth a bit, but overall you gain an appreciation for a great philosopher and communicator who was only 62 when he died in 1996. Sagan told us who we were and where we were, more or less. Two of his great quotes (for me) are: "We are the custodians of life's meaning." and "If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal.”
Sagan was a kid out of Brooklyn; his dad immigrated from Ukraine and his mom was from NYC.
Sagan was a kid out of Brooklyn; his dad immigrated from Ukraine and his mom was from NYC.
April 16, 2025
Aquí un Carl Sagan conectado con la ciencia, su vocación. Un viaje desde sus orígenes, su familia, sus debilidades pero sobre todo su 'enamoramiento' por el conocimiento científico tocado por otras disciplinas como la literatura, la música y una inagotable curiosidad, además de un compromiso humanístico y de activismo político.
Carl Sagan, una vida en el cosmos es una biografía muy bien documentada y con toques asombrosos de su vida familiar. Una vida llena de contrastes, de un ser humano como otro que tuvo la fortuna de rodear su vida toda en torno a su pasión por el conocimiento científico.
Carl Sagan, una vida en el cosmos es una biografía muy bien documentada y con toques asombrosos de su vida familiar. Una vida llena de contrastes, de un ser humano como otro que tuvo la fortuna de rodear su vida toda en torno a su pasión por el conocimiento científico.
December 28, 2025
It took me 6 months to slog through the first half of this book. It read like an interminable undergraduate essay (“and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened…”) and was extremely underwhelming for being a biography of someone I was excited to read about. The writing definitely picked up steam in the second half, but still suffered from a weird not-quite-chronological order, jumping around between subjects. I think a slightly more topical organization may have helped.
Overall, very glad I kept slogging for 200 pages to make it to the end, just wish it hadn’t been a slog at all.
Overall, very glad I kept slogging for 200 pages to make it to the end, just wish it hadn’t been a slog at all.
November 10, 2025
The books is a balanced view of Sagan the scientist and Sagan the celebrity & activist.
His scientific contributions (the greenhouse effect on Venus, the "nuclear winter" theory) are clearly explained, even for a layperson like myself.
Much like Keay Davidson's biography, this one avoids the pitfalls of sensationalism and hagiography.
In summary, this is, in my opinion, the definitive biography of Carl Sagan. If you have any interest in Carl Sagan, science communication, or the history of space exploration, this book is an absolute must-read.
His scientific contributions (the greenhouse effect on Venus, the "nuclear winter" theory) are clearly explained, even for a layperson like myself.
Much like Keay Davidson's biography, this one avoids the pitfalls of sensationalism and hagiography.
In summary, this is, in my opinion, the definitive biography of Carl Sagan. If you have any interest in Carl Sagan, science communication, or the history of space exploration, this book is an absolute must-read.
November 16, 2022
The other 1999 biography of Carl Sagan on my list (last month I read the one by Keay Davidson), science writer William Poundstone's book has less speculative psychologizing about Sagan's personality, less detail on his divorces and other personal affairs, and more detail on his scientific work. I won't say this is totally a better book, but it is more what I am looking for in the biography of a scientist (or anyone else who has actually done something besides being famous.)
September 28, 2021
Una mirada a la vida del hombre que enamoró de la ciencia a toda una generación.
William Poundstoune nos narra la historia espacial de las últimas décadas a través de uno de sus principales protagonistas, en una narración llena de anécdotas e historias que deleitarán a cualquier amante de la astronomía.
William Poundstoune nos narra la historia espacial de las últimas décadas a través de uno de sus principales protagonistas, en una narración llena de anécdotas e historias que deleitarán a cualquier amante de la astronomía.
February 27, 2023
I must say the author appears to be extremely knowledgeable not only about Sagan but the science he worked in as well. The book was very very detailed. Not having a great deal of scientific knowledge, I cannot comment on content. I thought at first the book was going to be hagiography but the author did a great job of pointing out foibles as well.
July 2, 2017
An engaging biography that could have gone sideways in the hands of a less graceful author. The real value in this volume is its discussion of the Viking missions, especially as 95% of books about Space exploration dwell on the Apollo program.
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April 30, 2019colorful character and successful academic/scientist, the inspiring public face of science. this book is a thorough account of his life and achievements, divided into paragraphs headlined with subtitles
October 22, 2020
Excelente biografía de uno de mis ídolos personales, me encanto conocer el lado más humano de este científico. Y esperemos que el futuro nos depare varios personas como Sagan qué combinen inteligencia, pasión y ética, además de ganas de compartir todos sus talentos con el resto de mundo.
March 19, 2021
Una biografía por debajo de su inspirador
Poundstone se adentra en la vida y fascinante trayectoria de Sagan, pero en mi opinión le imprime un sesgo negativo al valorar las luces y sombras que acompañan a todo ser humano.
Poundstone se adentra en la vida y fascinante trayectoria de Sagan, pero en mi opinión le imprime un sesgo negativo al valorar las luces y sombras que acompañan a todo ser humano.
September 2, 2024
Es un buen libro, si te interesa saber parte de la vida y los logros que Carl Sagan tuvo, muchas de sus contribuciones siguen vigente hoy en día, en un punto el libro es muy inspirador, pero por otra parte se vuelve algo pesado por las indagaciones muy profundas!
March 10, 2025
"Un universo en el que somos infinitamente insignificantes y en el que o no existen o nos son por siempre inaccesibles las respuestas a las preguntas que realmente nos preocupan, a lo que realmente se parece es a un relato de Kafka. Pero este es el universo en el que vivimos". (William Poundstone)
December 28, 2018
This book should have another half star
August 6, 2019
No creo que sea la mejor biografía que se ha escrito sobre Carl Sagan. Quizá fuera la primera tras su Muerte. Recomendaría buscar algo mejor.
January 8, 2023
Insightful look into Sagan's life.
November 7, 2007
Mark Twain once said, "Anybody can have ideas--the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph." The quote couldn't be more apt than when examining this work. I initially started to read this book being interested in Carl Sagan the person and what he had to say. I came away feeling it was a tedious chore.
First off, the book is divided into short subsections that make for easy stopping points. The initial happenings start like most biographies do by tracing Sagan's roots starting from his Grandparents on down. It details his early childhood and precocious nature which was evident from the start. The story quickly moves on to his early commitment to be an astronomer even though this wasn't regarded highly at the time. Throughout the book Carl's marriages are also discussed in some detail. My major complaint with the book starts with all of the dreadful descriptions of every single scientific project Sagan worked on. Even after the reader gets the gist the writer continues to drone on and on about what I felt were insignificant details to the extent they were described. For example, Sagan was a big proponent of a nuclear winter theory. The idea being that nuclear war would adversely affect the climate by cooling it and possibly leading to the complete demise of life as we know it. Well, Poundstone elaborates on this for close to 100 pages. At one point I had to flip to the cover of the book to make sure I hadn't picked up a book about nuclear holocaust or annihilation. Poundstone also goes into monotonous detail over every one of the Viking, Voyager, Pioneer, and Seti projects that Sagan worked on. My question would be-is this all there was to Carl Sagan? Was his work more important than who he was as a person?
The writer's language also does not flow very well. He is far from eloquent. He seems bright enough but everything seems forced and tentative like he is trying to think of what to say and how to say it. Sometimes this leads to non sequitur types of passages. As I was reading I kept feeling like I was missing some punch line. Eventually, I realized I wasn't missing anything but it was simply the writer's inability to communicate.
One good thing I felt the writer did do was display Sagan's faults and shortcomings. We are led to see that he was often egotistical, dismissing of former close friends, and not always a very good father. His friend's opinions of him are also revealed in somewhat explicit detail. For these reasons I feel the book isn't a complete waste but overall I was left with a feeling of distaste for it.
First off, the book is divided into short subsections that make for easy stopping points. The initial happenings start like most biographies do by tracing Sagan's roots starting from his Grandparents on down. It details his early childhood and precocious nature which was evident from the start. The story quickly moves on to his early commitment to be an astronomer even though this wasn't regarded highly at the time. Throughout the book Carl's marriages are also discussed in some detail. My major complaint with the book starts with all of the dreadful descriptions of every single scientific project Sagan worked on. Even after the reader gets the gist the writer continues to drone on and on about what I felt were insignificant details to the extent they were described. For example, Sagan was a big proponent of a nuclear winter theory. The idea being that nuclear war would adversely affect the climate by cooling it and possibly leading to the complete demise of life as we know it. Well, Poundstone elaborates on this for close to 100 pages. At one point I had to flip to the cover of the book to make sure I hadn't picked up a book about nuclear holocaust or annihilation. Poundstone also goes into monotonous detail over every one of the Viking, Voyager, Pioneer, and Seti projects that Sagan worked on. My question would be-is this all there was to Carl Sagan? Was his work more important than who he was as a person?
The writer's language also does not flow very well. He is far from eloquent. He seems bright enough but everything seems forced and tentative like he is trying to think of what to say and how to say it. Sometimes this leads to non sequitur types of passages. As I was reading I kept feeling like I was missing some punch line. Eventually, I realized I wasn't missing anything but it was simply the writer's inability to communicate.
One good thing I felt the writer did do was display Sagan's faults and shortcomings. We are led to see that he was often egotistical, dismissing of former close friends, and not always a very good father. His friend's opinions of him are also revealed in somewhat explicit detail. For these reasons I feel the book isn't a complete waste but overall I was left with a feeling of distaste for it.
March 6, 2019
this book is really compelling
November 22, 2008
I must confess that I started this book over a year ago, read a little, put it away, read a little, put it away, etc. I finally picked it back up a couple weeks ago determined to actually finish it, and found that I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. It's well-written, and about what I would expect in a biography. However, I think I would probably enjoy a book *by* Carl Sagan more than a book *about* Carl Sagan... and I plan to read one by him soon. He was a fascinating person, and if a biography is what you are looking for, I don't think you would be disappointed. For me, though, I think I'd rather hear what he had to say, as opposed to learning all about his childhood, failed marriages, and relationship with his kids. It's a 4-star book, but given my struggle getting through it, I can only give it 3 for me personally.
March 31, 2008
This is a great and VERY DETAILED history of Carl Sagan. I enjoyed it, but it became a lot more tedious than most biographies, simply because the author put unbelievable detail into his effort. It's one of those 5-star quality, 3-star have-to-plow-through-it things.
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