Automobile Quote by Carl Sagan
“When you buy a used car, you kick the tires, you look at the odometer, you open up the hood. If you do not feel yourself an expert in automobile engines, you bring a friend who is. And you do this with something as unimportant as an automobile. But on the issues of the transcendent, of ethics, of morals, of the origins of the world, of the nature of human beings, on those issues should we not insist upon at least equally skeptical scrutiny?”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Cosmos, Carl Sagan, 1980
Skeptical examination should be applied equally to everyday matters and profound philosophical questions.
In simple terms: Apply the same critical scrutiny to big ideas as you do to small details.
Key Takeaway
Question everything, even the big questions.
Themes
skepticism
ethics
critical thinking
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- buying a car
- debating morality
- examining religious claims
- discussing politics
- evaluating scientific theories
Key Concepts
philosophy
science
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance healthy doubt with confidence?
- When is skepticism counterproductive?
A Different Perspective
Skepticism can be paralyzing if taken to extremes.
![“[ 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)
