Animals Quote by Carl Sagan
“We hunger to understand, so we invent myths about how we imagine the world is constructed - and they're, of course, based upon what we know, which is ourselves and other animals. So we make up stories about how the world was hatched from a cosmic egg or created after the mating of cosmic deities or by some fiat of a powerful being.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Cosmos by Carl Sagan, 1980
Humans create myths to explain the world, projecting their own experience onto it.
In simple terms: We tell stories based on what we know about ourselves.
Key Takeaway
Recognize personal bias in explanations.
Themes
mythmaking
human nature
knowledge
Mood
curious
reflective
Type
philosophical
observational
When to use this quote
- education
- science communication
- creative writing
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
psychology
anthropology
cosmology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do our own experiences shape our explanations?
- What limits do personal biases impose on understanding?
A Different Perspective
Myths can oversimplify complex realities.
![“[ 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)
