--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have not been asking the serious…" description: "\"We have not been asking the serious questions about the future of our species, questions sci-fi regularly explores by showing us the best and worst of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/nick-sagan-20455_best_we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-ques_1490256.jpg" --- # We have not been asking the serious questions about the… ![“We have not been asking the serious questions about the future of our species, questions sci-fi regularly explores by showing us the best and worst of what could be.” quote by Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/nick-sagan-20455_best_we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-ques_1490256.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/nick-sagan-20455_best_we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-ques_1490256.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/nick-sagan-20455_best_we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-ques_1490256.jpg) > “We have not been asking the serious questions about the future of our species, questions sci-fi regularly explores by showing us the best and worst of what could be.” [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We avoid confronting deep, speculative issues about humanity’s destiny, which sci‑fi highlights by presenting extreme possibilities. **In simple terms:** We ignore big future questions, while sci‑fi shows extremes. Key Takeaway Consider and‑term implications now. Themes future speculation responsibility Mood thoughtful concerned Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy planning - education curricula - public discourse - science fiction analysis Key Concepts existential risk technological optimism ethical foresight Questions to Reflect On - What future scenario worries you most? - How can we turn sci‑fi insights into policy? A Different Perspective Sci‑fi may dramatize rather than solve real problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Fantasy allows for less rigorous worldbuilding and more vigorous exploration of moral questions. Sci-fi is opp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-s-kemp/fantasy-allows-for-less-rigorous-worldbuilding-and-more-vigorous/) [Paul S. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-s-kemp/) > [“The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-earth-is-the-only-world-known-so-far-to-harbor-life-there-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Our world is fast succumbing to the activities of men and women who would stake the future of our species on beliefs that should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/our-world-is-fast-succumbing-to-the-activities-of-men-and-women-who/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [My specific goal is to revolutionize the future of the species. Mathematics is just another way of predicting the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-abraham/my-specific-goal-is-to-revolutionize-the-future-of-the-species/) [Ralph Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-abraham/) > [Without questions there is no future for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bamikole/without-questions-there-is-no-future-for-us/) [Paul Bamikole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bamikole/) > [We've all got to discover the courage to ask the difficult questions about the future of our party and the future of the working-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-phillips/we-ve-all-got-to-discover-the-courage-to-ask-the-difficult-questions/) [Jess Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-phillips/) > [Between now and then, after 43 years of European marriage, the whole body of legislation will therefore have to be disentangled. That entails a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/between-now-and-then-after-43-years-of-european-marriage-the-whole/) [Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/) > [“The Earth is the only world known so far to harbour life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-earth-is-the-only-world-known-so-far-to-harbour-life-there-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Research can only present data about the past. No one seriously believes that people's answers to hypothetical questions about the future accurately represent their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/research-can-only-present-data-about-the-past-no-one-seriously/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Interviewing someone is very similar to preparing a character, isn't it? You're just asking questions: 'Who is this person? Why did they make that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/interviewing-someone-is-very-similar-to-preparing-a-character-isn-t/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [I love doing what I do. I love asking questions. I love being in the mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-king/i-love-doing-what-i-do-i-love-asking-questions-i-love-being-in-the-mix/) [Larry King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-king/) > [I’m sick of asking questions everyone else already knows the answers to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/i-m-sick-of-asking-questions-everyone-else-already-knows-the-answers/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [I talk to everyone - Uber drivers, bartenders. On Twitter, people see me as some mean guy, but in real life, I am out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-cernovich/i-talk-to-everyone-uber-drivers-bartenders-on-twitter-people-see-me/) [Mike Cernovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-cernovich/) > [The first time I had a secretary, I was sheepish about being demanding or even asking questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bing-gordon/the-first-time-i-had-a-secretary-i-was-sheepish-about-being-demanding/) [Bing Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bing-gordon/) > [I think all good architecture should challenge you, make you start asking questions. You don't have to understand it. You may not like it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-think-all-good-architecture-should-challenge-you-make-you-start/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) ## More by Nick Sagan > [Dad was a difference maker. He reached out to people. He took them by the awe and wonder we feel over the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/dad-was-a-difference-maker-he-reached-out-to-people-he-took-them-by/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [“The learned must educate the ignorant. Because, according to society, ignorance is never bliss. Except in retrospect. I look back upon my ignorance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/the-learned-must-educate-the-ignorant-because-according-to-society/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [“We fear the monster's capacity for evil because we recognize it in human hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/we-fear-the-monster-s-capacity-for-evil-because-we-recognize-it-in/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [Astonishingly powerful and poignant, 'Gravity' is the rarest of rares: a space survival film informed by a genuine reverence for the awe-inspiring cosmos we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/astonishingly-powerful-and-poignant-gravity-is-the-rarest-of-rares-a/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [I've met secular humanists who grew up in evangelical households, for whom 'Cosmos' was their first exposure to a scientific way of viewing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/i-ve-met-secular-humanists-who-grew-up-in-evangelical-households-for/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [It goes back to the starfish. That's when the light bulb really popped over my head. We'd found one on the beach, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/it-goes-back-to-the-starfish-that-s-when-the-light-bulb-really-popped/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [I'm thrilled to be working with the Science Channel. A chance to shine a light on the wonder and exciting possibilities of science with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/i-m-thrilled-to-be-working-with-the-science-channel-a-chance-to-shine/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [My father was not only a planetary scientist and a great popularizer of science, but he thought very deeply about the world. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/my-father-was-not-only-a-planetary-scientist-and-a-great-popularizer/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [“When I think of Simone now, I think of butterfly wings. Beautiful and excruciatingly delicate. Touch them once and they might disintegrate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/when-i-think-of-simone-now-i-think-of-butterfly-wings-beautiful-and/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [Science is a wonderful way of getting out what's real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/science-is-a-wonderful-way-of-getting-out-what-s-real/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [Human divisions would be child's play for any reasonably competent alien overlord to exploit - check the masterful 'Twilight Zone' episode 'The Monsters Are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/human-divisions-would-be-child-s-play-for-any-reasonably-competent/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [“Blue believes the harmony to be motivated by self-interest. There is a resurgence of faith these days, a growing belief in organized religion, grace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/blue-believes-the-harmony-to-be-motivated-by-self-interest-there-is-a/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [American sci-fi has fallen into the doldrums in part because of the anti-science sentiment that's so prevalent in our culture lately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/american-sci-fi-has-fallen-into-the-doldrums-in-part-because-of-the/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [As a science-fiction writer, I feel my responsibility is to look ahead and see the dangers of what might happen and try to warn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/as-a-science-fiction-writer-i-feel-my-responsibility-is-to-look-ahead/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [There is a danger, increasingly, that we're in a post-fact society where it seems my ignorance is as good as your facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/there-is-a-danger-increasingly-that-we-re-in-a-post-fact-society/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) [Explore all 29 Nick Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) ## More Asking questions quotes > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dell/by-questioning-all-the-aspects-of-our-business-we-continuously-inject/) [Michael Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dell/) > [“The breakdown of the neighborhoods also meant the end of what was essentially an extended family…With the breakdown of the extended family, too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/the-breakdown-of-the-neighborhoods-also-meant-the-end-of-what-was/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“Wise are those who keep asking questions when everyone around them think they know the answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-bartell/wise-are-those-who-keep-asking-questions-when-everyone-around-them/) J. Bartell > [And when I started college, I think I was good at two things: arguing and asking questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hughes/and-when-i-started-college-i-think-i-was-good-at-two-things-arguing/) [Karen Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hughes/) > [Keep on asking the questions and learn to accept the answers, even if they are not the same as what you would have loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-on-asking-the-questions-and-learn-to-accept-the-answers-even-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Going online and asking questions is the best way to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-felton/going-online-and-asking-questions-is-the-best-way-to-learn/) [Tom Felton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-felton/) > [If you look at most mainstream filmmaking, to be honest, some of these films aren't even asking questions anymore at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karyn-kusama/if-you-look-at-most-mainstream-filmmaking-to-be-honest-some-of-these/) [Karyn Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karyn-kusama/) > [To go beyond the mind, you must be silent and quiet. Peace and silence, silence and peace - this is the way beyond. Stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/to-go-beyond-the-mind-you-must-be-silent-and-quiet-peace-and-silence/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [“Asking questions is an opportunity for creativity and personal expression, both for the person asking and the person answering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/asking-questions-is-an-opportunity-for-creativity-and-personal/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [In mathematics, the art of asking questions is more valuable than solving problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/in-mathematics-the-art-of-asking-questions-is-more-valuable-than/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [I think all good architecture should challenge you, make you start asking questions. You don't have to understand it. You may not like it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-think-all-good-architecture-should-challenge-you-make-you-start/) [Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/) > [“By this time it was well past midnight. You know how that is. It’s a time when you start asking questions about things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nickle/by-this-time-it-was-well-past-midnight-you-know-how-that-is-it-s-a/) David Nickle > [The first time I had a secretary, I was sheepish about being demanding or even asking questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bing-gordon/the-first-time-i-had-a-secretary-i-was-sheepish-about-being-demanding/) [Bing Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bing-gordon/) > [“Instead of seeking out communities that almost guarantee the potential for large successful churches, the best planters are asking questions like, “which are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-benesh/instead-of-seeking-out-communities-that-almost-guarantee-the/) Sean Benesh Browse all 480 Asking questions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have not been asking the serious questions about the future of our species, questions sci-fi regularly explores by showing us the best and worst of what could be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nick Sagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-questions-about-the-future-of-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asking questions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-questions-about-the-future-of-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/nick-sagan-20455_best_we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-ques_1490256.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/nick-sagan-20455_best_we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-ques_1490256.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/nick-sagan-20455_best_we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-ques_1490256.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have not been asking the serious questions about the future of our species, questions sci-fi regularly…” — Nick 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": "Nick Sagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have not been asking the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-questions-about-the-future-of-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/we-have-not-been-asking-the-serious-questions-about-the-future-of-our/#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 } } ] } ```