--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a characteristic conceit of our…" description: "\"“It is a characteristic conceit of our species to put human face on random cosmic violence.”\" — Carl Sagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/carl-sagan-160_quote_it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-sp_1243285.jpg" --- # It is a characteristic conceit of our species to put human… ![“It is a characteristic conceit of our species to put human face on random cosmic violence.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/carl-sagan-160_quote_it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-sp_1243285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/carl-sagan-160_quote_it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-sp_1243285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/carl-sagan-160_quote_it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-sp_1243285.jpg) > ““It is a characteristic conceit of our species to put human face on random cosmic violence.”” [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. Humans personify random cosmic events, creating narratives that make sense of indifferent universe. **In simple terms:** We give human traits to random cosmic violence. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of anthropomorphism. Themes cosmology anthropomorphism human nature science Mood wonderful thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - space exploration - science education - philosophical debate - artistic expression Key Concepts philosophy of science psychology Questions to Reflect On - Why do we humanize the cosmos? - How does this affect our view of reality? A Different Perspective Anthropomorphism can mislead scientific understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [“The Man in the Moon is in fact a record of ancient catastrophes--most of which took place before humans, before mammals, and probably even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-man-in-the-moon-is-in-fact-a-record-of-ancient-catastrophes-most/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“You look like someone who’s discovered a new species of human”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-frank/you-look-like-someone-who-s-discovered-a-new-species-of-human/) [Ella Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-frank/) > [It seems inconceivable that a species of human could possess fully modern language and not be fully modern in all other ways, too. 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The human face is so legible that it sometimes seems possible to watch their thoughts, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bradley-rede/i-like-the-fact-that-she-thinks-the-human-face-is-so-legible-that-it/) [Laura Bradley Rede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bradley-rede/) > [I wanted to put a human face on anxiety disorders. 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The human face is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/true-worth-is-as-inevitably-discovered-by-the-facial-expression-as/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [“The horrible monsters in this world are the ones that wear human face”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/69rascal/the-horrible-monsters-in-this-world-are-the-ones-that-wear-human-face/) [69rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/69rascal/) > [I long for another human face just as I fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-long-for-another-human-face-just-as-i-fear-it/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [More was revealed in a human face than a human being can bear face to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/more-was-revealed-in-a-human-face-than-a-human-being-can-bear-face-to/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror, or the painter?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/who-sees-the-human-face-correctly-the-photographer-the-mirror-or-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [There is no sight so ugly as the human face in anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fitzhugh/there-is-no-sight-so-ugly-as-the-human-face-in-anger/) [Louise Fitzhugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fitzhugh/) > [The thing about the human face is that we're so genetically programmed to recognize differences in human faces that, when you're digitally affecting faces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-mostow/the-thing-about-the-human-face-is-that-we-re-so-genetically/) [Jonathan Mostow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-mostow/) > [“Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is not a reserved position for a particular group of people who were elected or appointed, ordained or enthroned.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/contrary-to-popular-opinion-leadership-is-not-a-reserved-position-for/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Communism is fascism with a human face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/communism-is-fascism-with-a-human-face/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Despite himself, Beauvoir laughed. "There is strong shadow where there is much light." ... But most he loved a happy human face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/despite-himself-beauvoir-laughed-there-is-strong-shadow-where-there/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [When I was a graduate student in computer science in the early 2000s, computers were barely able to detect sharp edges in photographs, let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fei-fei-li/when-i-was-a-graduate-student-in-computer-science-in-the-early-2000s/) [Fei-Fei Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fei-fei-li/) > [Age plays cruel tricks on the human face; all our repressed feelings become visible on the surface, where they harden like a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/age-plays-cruel-tricks-on-the-human-face-all-our-repressed-feelings/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) Browse all 72 Human face quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is a characteristic conceit of our species to put human face on random cosmic violence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-species-to-put-human-face-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human face" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-species-to-put-human-face-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/carl-sagan-160_quote_it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-sp_1243285.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/carl-sagan-160_quote_it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-sp_1243285.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/carl-sagan-160_quote_it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-sp_1243285.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a characteristic conceit of our species to put human face on random cosmic violence.” — Carl Sagan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carl Sagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is a characteristic conceit of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-species-to-put-human-face-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-a-characteristic-conceit-of-our-species-to-put-human-face-on/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```