--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best way to avoid abuses is for the…" description: "\"“The best way to avoid abuses is for the populace in general to be scientifically literate, to understand the implications of such investigations. In e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f5/carl-sagan-160_average-person_the-best-way-to-avoid-abuses-is-for-the_2174432.jpg" --- # The best way to avoid abuses is for the populace in… ![“The best way to avoid abuses is for the populace in general to be scientifically literate, to understand the implications of such investigations. In exchange for freedom of inquiry, scientists are obliged to explain their work. If science is considered a closed priesthood, too difficult and arcane…” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f5/carl-sagan-160_average-person_the-best-way-to-avoid-abuses-is-for-the_2174432.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f5/carl-sagan-160_average-person_the-best-way-to-avoid-abuses-is-for-the_2174432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f5/carl-sagan-160_average-person_the-best-way-to-avoid-abuses-is-for-the_2174432.jpg) > ““The best way to avoid abuses is for the populace in general to be scientifically literate, to understand the implications of such investigations. In exchange for freedom of inquiry, scientists are obliged to explain their work. If science is considered a closed priesthood, too difficult and arcane for the average person to understand, the dangers of abuse are greater. But if science is a topic of general interest and concern - if both its delights and its social consequences are discussed regularly and competently in the schools, the press, and at the dinner table - we have greatly improved our prospects for learning how the world really is and for improving both it and us.”” [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. The passage argues that broad scientific literacy prevents abuse and promotes informed public discourse. **In simple terms:** Science knowledge protects society. Key Takeaway Promote science education for all. Themes education science literacy public policy Mood inspirational informative Type essay advocacy When to use this quote - school curricula - public lectures - media reporting - family discussions Key Concepts epistemology democracy ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we make science accessible? - What barriers exist to public understanding? A Different Perspective Achieving widespread literacy is resource‑intensive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Average person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-person/) [Avoid Abuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-abuses-4669790/) [Dinner table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner-table/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Inquiry Scientists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquiry-scientists-4669791/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Considered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-considered-1773883/) [Scientifically Literate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientifically-literate-380938/) [Scientists Obliged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists-obliged-4669792/) ## Related quotes > [In exchange for freedom of inquiry, scientists are obliged to explain their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-exchange-for-freedom-of-inquiry-scientists-are-obliged-to-explain/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [What struck me most in England was the perception that only those works which have a practical tendency awake attention and command respect, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-von-liebig/what-struck-me-most-in-england-was-the-perception-that-only-those/) [Justus von Liebig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-von-liebig/) > [“I know that the consequences of scientific illiteracy are far more dangerous in our time than in any that has come before. It’s perilous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-know-that-the-consequences-of-scientific-illiteracy-are-far-more/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Intense study of a particular field of science does not necessarily make one scientifically literate. Indeed, it has been our experience that working scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/intense-study-of-a-particular-field-of-science-does-not-necessarily/) [Robert M. Hazen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hazen/) > [If you're scientifically literate, the world looks very different to you, and that understanding empowers you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-re-scientifically-literate-the-world-looks-very-different-to/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Part of what it is to be scientifically-literate, it's not simply, 'Do you know what DNA is? Or what the Big Bang is?' That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/part-of-what-it-is-to-be-scientifically-literate-it-s-not-simply-do/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You have people who believe they are scientifically literate but, in fact, are not. And I don't mind if you're not scientifically literate, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-have-people-who-believe-they-are-scientifically-literate-but-in/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/we-need-them-we-need-scientifically-literate-voters-and-taxpayers-for/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [We have people who believe they are scientifically literate but, in fact, are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-have-people-who-believe-they-are-scientifically-literate-but-in/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [To be scientifically literate is to empower yourself to know when someone else is full of bullshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/to-be-scientifically-literate-is-to-empower-yourself-to-know-when/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The value of science is not simply what the next model of the iPod you will buy next week, but its real value comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-value-of-science-is-not-simply-what-the-next-model-of-the-ipod/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't really be scientifically literate if you don't understand evolution. And you can't be an educated member of society if you don't understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenie-scott/you-can-t-really-be-scientifically-literate-if-you-don-t-understand/) [Eugenie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenie-scott/) > [Once you have an innovation culture, even those who are not scientists or engineers - poets, actors, journalists - they, as communities, embrace the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/once-you-have-an-innovation-culture-even-those-who-are-not-scientists/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Part of what it is to be scientifically-literate is how you think about information that's presented in front of you. I think that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/part-of-what-it-is-to-be-scientifically-literate-is-how-you-think/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## 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 Average person quotes > [“She'd always been a little excitable, a little more passionate about books than your average person, but she was supposed to be -- she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-beth-durst/she-d-always-been-a-little-excitable-a-little-more-passionate-about/) [Sarah Beth Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-beth-durst/) > [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/) [Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/) > [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [My dad was not a footballer. 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That’s why there have been many average men and only one Edison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-average-person-would-have-quit-at-the-first-failure-that-s-why/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [There's barely any aspect of our modern lives that hasn't had a mathematical contribution at some point and yet, if you asked the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-fry/there-s-barely-any-aspect-of-our-modern-lives-that-hasn-t-had-a/) [Hannah Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-fry/) > [I'd like to think that maybe the average person is rational, and they realise that I'm not this crazy monster that, at times, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-d-like-to-think-that-maybe-the-average-person-is-rational-and-they/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I know about Woodstock probably as much as your average person who is over 30, where I'd know Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-know-about-woodstock-probably-as-much-as-your-average-person-who-is/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I get a little angry about this highhanded scrapping of the look of things. 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