Carl Sagan's Ability To Popularize Science In America

991207761
English 101-053
Final Portfolio
8, December 2014

Carl Sagan’s Ability to Popularize Science in America Carl Sagan, a widely known American scientist changed the way that many Americans view the universe. As a scientist Carl Sagan made science understandable to those who loved science but did not understand why, as well as popularizing science more that it ever was. In the essay, “Can We Know the Universe?” by Carl Sagan, Sagan was willing to explain things in depth to anyone who was brave enough to simply ask a question. Sagan was on a quest to understand the universe during his lifetime, and on his quest he wanted to communicate the beauty of science to others. Unlike many scientists during his time, he was able to commit to
“I can spend time in the end-of-the-day traffic being disgusted about all the huge, stupid, lane-blocking SUV’s and Hummers and V-12 pickup trucks, burning their wasteful, selfish, forty-gallon tanks of gas, and I can dwell on the fact that the patriotic or religious bumper-stickers always seem to be on the biggest, most disgustingly selfish vehicles, driven by the ugliest most disgustingly selfish vehicles, driven by the ugliest, most inconsiderate and aggressive drivers.” (Wallace) The stereotype that Wallace is pointing out is that the big vehicles that are driven are driven by people who are just as ugly as their vehicles. This isn’t always true, you can’t force yourself to think this way because you are unaware of who is driving the typical “SUV” or “Hummer” (Wallace) You must remember that you can not judge someone because you are frustrated about what is going on. You must realize that the person inside that vehicle is going through something and you will never understand what they are going through because they are just someone that you are interacting with because you are on the same road and you’re both trying to get somewhere as quickly as you can. You must think “that the Hummer that just cut me off is maybe being driven by a father whose little child is hurt or sick in the seat next to him, and he’s trying to get this kid to the hospital, and he’s in a bigger, more legitimate hurry than I am: it is actually I who am in his way.” Most people in America are not understanding when they are flustered and in a situation as traffic. But, thinking that most people are not thinking this way is a stereotypical way of thinking which Wallace is trying to prove to the