Dear Tom and all,
This week's bizarre spectacle in San Diego highlights the dangerous consequences for society of relying on irrational, religious beliefs rather than the informed skepticism Carl Sagan championed. I think that Alan Hale, the astronomer and co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp, was carrying on Sagan's legacy with his response to the events:
"Almost from day one, I have heard claims that Hale-Bopp is an alien mother ship or is under intelligent control or some such. . . . And now, this has been carried to an extreme. 39 lives have now been lost as a result of this ignorance and superstition.
"Tonight . . . forget about the world for a minute, go outside, look up in the northwest and take a look at this comet. It's a beautiful object. It's lovely. It's one of the most magnificent celestial objects you will ever see! But for all its beauty, its magnificence, its splendor, all it is is a dirty snowball that's orbiting the sun. Nothing more."
Peace,
Droog |
