Atheism Quote by Carl Sagan
“Eratosthenes's only tools were sticks, eyes, feet, and brains; plus a zest for experiment. With those tools he correctly deduced the circumference of the Earth, to high precision, with an error of only a few percent. That's pretty good figuring for 2200 years ago.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Cosmos, 1980
Eratosthenes used simple tools and curiosity to measure Earth's size with remarkable accuracy.
In simple terms: Simple tools plus curiosity yield great discoveries.
Key Takeaway
Encourage curiosity and resourcefulness.
Themes
science
history
exploration
methodology
Mood
inspirational
educational
Type
scientific
historical
When to use this quote
- education
- DIY projects
- field research
- problem solving
Key Concepts
empirical observation
experimental mindset
Questions to Reflect On
- What simple tools can you use to explore?
- How does curiosity drive innovation?
A Different Perspective
Modern tools can both help and distract from fundamentals.
![“Today Eratosthenes' method [of calculating the circumference of the earth] seems almost banal... yet it is inaccessible to prescientific civilizations, and in all of Antiquity not a single Latin author succeeded in stating it coherently.” quote by Lucio Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d48/lucio-russo-43521_antiquity_today-eratosthenes-method-of-calculating_2489686.jpg)
![“[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion, why do you not believe in materialistic science, which has an unparalleled record of fulfilled prophecy? Consider, for example, eclipses.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/875/carl-sagan-160_belief_when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-a_25095.jpg)
