--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If some good evidence for life after…" description: "\"If some good evidence for life after death were announced, I'd be eager to examine it; but it would have to be real scientific data, not mere anecdote...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/carl-sagan-160_abduction_if-some-good-evidence-for-life-after-dea_1472539.jpg" --- # If some good evidence for life after death were announced… ![“If some good evidence for life after death were announced, I'd be eager to examine it; but it would have to be real scientific data, not mere anecdote. As with the face on Mars and alien abductions, better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/carl-sagan-160_abduction_if-some-good-evidence-for-life-after-dea_1472539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/carl-sagan-160_abduction_if-some-good-evidence-for-life-after-dea_1472539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/carl-sagan-160_abduction_if-some-good-evidence-for-life-after-dea_1472539.jpg) > “If some good evidence for life after death were announced, I'd be eager to examine it; but it would have to be real scientific data, not mere anecdote. As with the face on Mars and alien abductions, better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy.” [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific evidence must be rigorous, not anecdotal, when evaluating claims about the afterlife. **In simple terms:** Science requires solid data, not stories. Key Takeaway Demand proof before belief. Themes skepticism science belief Mood inquisitive critical Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - research studies - medical ethics - paranormal claims - public policy Key Concepts empiricism philosophy of mind Questions to Reflect On - What standards should we set for extraordinary claims? - How do we balance open‑mindedness with rigor? A Different Perspective Personal experiences can be compelling but may lack verification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abduction/) [After death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-death/) [Alien abduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alien-abduction/) [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Anecdotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotes/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Being real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-real/) [Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Hard Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-truth/) [Hard truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-truths/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life after death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-after-death/) [Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mars/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [If a large number of people who are convinced alien abductions are real are hypnotising even larger numbers of others who suspect they might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-appleyard/if-a-large-number-of-people-who-are-convinced-alien-abductions-are/) [Bryan Appleyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-appleyard/) > [“the domain of quantum world is so astonishingly strange that it even makes tales of alien abductions sound perfectly reasonable”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-al-khalili/the-domain-of-quantum-world-is-so-astonishingly-strange-that-it-even/) [Jim Al-Khalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-al-khalili/) > [Oh yeah, Scooby, it does. You and I have gone round many a day. I’m the reason you keep thinking you’ve had alien abductions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/oh-yeah-scooby-it-does-you-and-i-have-gone-round-many-a-day-i-m-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [It is, I think, good evidence of life after death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-soper-baron-soper/it-is-i-think-good-evidence-of-life-after-death/) Donald Soper, Baron Soper > [“Another of Mack’s patients says that the aliens have been taking eggs from her since she was sexually mature, and that her reproductive system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/another-of-mack-s-patients-says-that-the-aliens-have-been-taking-eggs/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I can't see any great evidence that humans have any ability to access anything other than the material world. Beyond that, who knows, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-beckett/i-can-t-see-any-great-evidence-that-humans-have-any-ability-to-access/) [Bernard Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-beckett/) > [Is religion a force for good? The evidence of history and the evidence of current events cast doubt on the truism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-haught/is-religion-a-force-for-good-the-evidence-of-history-and-the-evidence/) [James A. Haught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-haught/) > [I cant see any great evidence that humans have any ability to access anything other than the material world. Beyond that, who knows, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-beckett/i-cant-see-any-great-evidence-that-humans-have-any-ability-to-access/) [Bernard Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-beckett/) > [The core of science is not a mathematical modeling--it is intellectual honesty. It is a willingness to have our certainties about the world constrained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-core-of-science-is-not-a-mathematical-modeling-it-is-intellectual/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“researchers discovered that people who have just consumed caffeinated drinks were more likely to be swayed by arguments about various controversial topics.55 In short,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wiseman/researchers-discovered-that-people-who-have-just-consumed-caffeinated/) [Richard Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wiseman/) > [In science, you can say things that seem crazy, but in the long run, they can turn out to be right. We can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-hinton/in-science-you-can-say-things-that-seem-crazy-but-in-the-long-run/) [Geoffrey Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-hinton/) > [“In my opinion, legal training only makes a man more incompetent in questions that require knowledge of another kind. People talk about evidence as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/in-my-opinion-legal-training-only-makes-a-man-more-incompetent-in/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Answers to leading questions under torture naturally tell us nothing about the beliefs of the accused; but they are good evidence for the beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/answers-to-leading-questions-under-torture-naturally-tell-us-nothing/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [I resolved from the beginning of my quest that I would not be misled by sentiment and desire into beliefs for which there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-resolved-from-the-beginning-of-my-quest-that-i-would-not-be-misled/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The resemblance of ... the alien abduction of 'experiencers' to the contracts described by our own volunteers is undeniable. How can anyone doubt, after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-strassman/the-resemblance-of-the-alien-abduction-of-experiencers-to-the/) [Rick Strassman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-strassman/) ## More by Carl Sagan > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## More Abduction quotes > [“Should I talk to her friends?’ he asked softly, because he had to say something to take his mind away from the feel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-rose/should-i-talk-to-her-friends-he-asked-softly-because-he-had-to-say/) Elisabeth Rose > [“During an abduction, your priorities are to place a 911 call, video record the event, and to make the public aware of what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/during-an-abduction-your-priorities-are-to-place-a-911-call-video/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“But I don’t arrange a very good abduction, I’m afraid. In my haste to seize you and carry you off to the ends of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kinsale/but-i-don-t-arrange-a-very-good-abduction-i-m-afraid-in-my-haste-to/) [Laura Kinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kinsale/) > [For me to sit here and give all kinds of excuses to make it right, I can't do. But what I want to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-childers/for-me-to-sit-here-and-give-all-kinds-of-excuses-to-make-it-right-i/) [Sam Childers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-childers/) > [People that have had genuine abduction experiences that I've met that seem very genuine to me, but they're just confused about why it happened.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-davies/people-that-have-had-genuine-abduction-experiences-that-i-ve-met-that/) [Dave Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-davies/) > [The resemblance of ... the alien abduction of 'experiencers' to the contracts described by our own volunteers is undeniable. How can anyone doubt, after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-strassman/the-resemblance-of-the-alien-abduction-of-experiencers-to-the/) [Rick Strassman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-strassman/) > [“2.1 Abduction No, we’re not talking about kidnapping but, rather, an important dimension of scientific and ordinary as well as philosophical rationality. Consider the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/2-1-abduction-no-we-re-not-talking-about-kidnapping-but-rather-an/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“During an abduction, you want to place a 911 call at the earliest opportunity and keep the phone line open for the duration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/during-an-abduction-you-want-to-place-a-911-call-at-the-earliest/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Even the most respectable woman has a complete set of clothes in her wardrobe ready for a possible abduction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-guitry/even-the-most-respectable-woman-has-a-complete-set-of-clothes-in-her/) [Sacha Guitry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-guitry/) > [One of the most ignored dimensions of the Iraqi insurgency are the Iraqis themselves who are regularly abducted, held for ransom and sometimes executed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-hoffman/one-of-the-most-ignored-dimensions-of-the-iraqi-insurgency-are-the/) [Bruce Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-hoffman/) > [Although North Korea's position differs (from Tokyo's), Japan's basic stance remains unchanged ? to seek sincere responses from the North Korean side to resolve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-koizumi/although-north-korea-s-position-differs-from-tokyo-s-japan-s-basic/) [Junichiro Koizumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-koizumi/) > [“But that self-abduction shit—where you take leave of yourself, and a ghoul takes over instead, and the night comes back at you the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shafer/but-that-self-abduction-shit-where-you-take-leave-of-yourself-and-a/) David Shafer > [“Our society needs criminals like Wolfgang Priklopil in order to give a face to the evil that lives within and to split it off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-kampusch/our-society-needs-criminals-like-wolfgang-priklopil-in-order-to-give/) [Natascha Kampusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-kampusch/) > [The first thing to note is that pornography and many abductions occur apart from the use of computers, and that most child abuse happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/the-first-thing-to-note-is-that-pornography-and-many-abductions-occur/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [“Whitley Strieber, who wrote about his own abduction in the book Communion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monte-cook/whitley-strieber-who-wrote-about-his-own-abduction-in-the-book/) Monte Cook [Browse all 65 Abduction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abduction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If some good evidence for life after death were announced, I'd be eager to examine it; but it would have to be real scientific data, not mere anecdote. 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