Computers Quote by Carl Sagan
““Some information is classified legitimately; as with military hardware, secrecy sometimes really is in the national interest. Further, military, political, and intelligence communities tend to value secrecy for its own sake. It's a way of silencing critics and evading responsibility - for incompetence or worse. It generates an elite, a band of brothers in whom the national confidence can be reliably vested, unlike the great mass of citizenry on whose behalf the information is presumably made secret in the first place. With a few exceptions, secrecy is deeply incompatible with democracy and with science.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Cosmos, Episode 1, 1980
Secrecy can protect national interests but often undermines democratic transparency and scientific progress.
In simple terms: Secrecy protects some things but harms openness.
Key Takeaway
Balance security with openness.
Themes
democracy
science
transparency
secrecy
power
ethics
Mood
cautious
critical
reflective
Type
political
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- government policy
- journalism
- research funding
- whistleblowing
- public debate
Key Concepts
public trust
accountability
information ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- When does secrecy become a tool of control?
- How can societies ensure necessary secrecy without sacrificing democratic values?
A Different Perspective
Secrecy may be justified in genuine security contexts, but overuse erodes trust.
![“[ 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)
