Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the MillenniumIn this book, his last, Carl Sagan shows once again his extraordinary ability to interpret the mysteries of life and the majesty of the universe for the general reader. Brilliant, eloquent, and imbued with Sagan's uniquely childlike sense of awe, this entertaining collection of essays captures the authors spirit at its best.In Billions and Billions Sagan applies what we know about science, mathematics, and space to everyday life, as well as to the exploration of many essential questions concerning the environment and our future. Ranging far and wide in subject matter, he takes his readers on a soaring journey, from the invention of chess to the possibility of life on Mars, from Monday Night Football to the relationship between the United States and Russia, from global warming to the abortion debate. And, on a more intimate note, we are given a rare glimpse of the author himself as he movingly describes his valiant fight for his life, his love of his family, and his personal beliefs about death and God.Throughout these essays, Sagan provides clarity and understanding for an audience eager to make sense of the world around it as it prepares for the challenges of the coming millennium, and in the process he illuminates his strongly held belief that we have the ability to change the world and our lives for the better.Sagan has said, We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers. With this book, as in his magnificent career, he makes this world significant indeed.

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Untitled Document

Windows NT 4.0

Random House, Incorporated

Ballantine Pub.

Ivy Books

Fawcett

Penguin Random House LLC, New York, 1997

United States, United States of America

1st ed, New York, c1997

Illustrated, 1998

Reprint, PS, 1998

May 12, 1998

0

lg313972

producers:
GNU Ghostscript 7.05

{"isbns":["0345379187","9780345379184"],"last_page":120,"publisher":"Ballantine Books"}

Originally published: New York : Random House, c1997.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [279]-283) and index.

topic: Science-Miscellanea-Popular works

Type: 英文图书

Bookmarks:
1. (p15) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
2. (p19) PART I THE POWER AND BEAUTY OF QUANTIFICATION
2.1. (p21) CHAPTER 1 BILLIONS AND BILLIONS
2.2. (p31) CHAPTER 2 THE PERSIAN CHESSBOARD
2.3. (p45) CHAPTER 3 MONDAY-NIGHT HUNTERS
2.4. (p56) CHAPTER 4 THE GAZE OF GOD AND THE DRIPPING FAUCET
2.5. (p73) CHAPTER 5 FOUR COSMIC QUESTIONS
2.6. (p82) CHAPTER 6 SO MANY SUNS, SO MANY WORLDS
3. (p91) PART II WHAT ARE CONSERVATIVES CONSERVING?
3.1. (p93) CHAPTER 7 THE WORLD THAT CAME IN THE MAIL
3.2. (p100) CHAPTER 8 THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE DOES PRUDENCE LIE?
3.3. (p110) CHAPTER 9 CROESUS AND CASSANDRA
3.4. (p117) CHAPTER 10 A PIECE OF THE SKY IS MISSING
3.5. (p135) CHAPTER 11 AMBUSH: THE WARMING OF THE WORLD
3.6. (p158) CHAPTER 12 ESCAPE FROM AMBUSH
3.7. (p181) CHAPTER 13 RELIGION AND SCIENCE: AN ALLIANCE
4. (p195) PART III WHERE HEARTS AND MINDS COLLIDE
4.1. (p197) CHAPTER 14 THE COMMON ENEMY
4.2. (p214) CHAPTER 15 ABORTION: IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE BOTH "PRO-LIFE" AND "PRO-CHOICE"?
4.3. (p234) CHAPTER 16 THE RULES OF THE GAME
4.4. (p249) CHAPTER 17 GETTYSBURG AND NOW
4.5. (p263) CHAPTER 18 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
4.6. (p275) CHAPTER 19 IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW
5. (p286) EPILOGUE
6. (p295) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
7. (p297) REFERENCES
8. (p303) INDEX

theme: Science-Miscellanea-Popular works

<p><P>In the final book of his astonishing career, Carl Sagan brilliantly examines the burning questions of our lives, our world, and the universe around us. These luminous, entertaining essays travel both the vastness of the cosmos and the intimacy of the human mind, posing such fascinating questions as how did the universe originate and how will it end, and how can we meld science and compassion to meet the challenges of the coming century? Here, too, is a rare, private glimpse of Sagan's thoughts about love, death, and God as he struggled with fatal disease. Ever forward-looking and vibrant with the sparkle of his unquenchable curiosity, Billions & Billions is a testament to one of the great scientific minds of our day.</p> <h3>Publishers Weekly</h3> <p>In a book completed less than two months before his death, Sagan (<i>The Demon-Haunted World</i>, etc.) compels his readers to look at life. Although many of the essays here have appeared previously, they gain power through juxtaposition and new commentary. They portray humankind as a favored species on a fragile world, facing the profound impact that 20th-century technology will have on its future. Six essays on "The Power of Beauty of Quantification" celebrate science and the insights it gives us into the cosmos, our planet and our species. Seven more, exploring the question "What are Conservatives Conserving?," discuss the political and economic factors that have led to quite different international responses to two environmental threats: the "ozone hole" and global warming. These pieces culminate with a joint appeal from scientific and religious leaders committed to saving the planet. The interplay among scientific, religious and political thought continues in the closing set of six essays, "Where Hearts and Minds Collide." Here, Sagan prompts readers to look beyond their own lives and to the preservation of our species and our world. As the author's widow, Ann Druyan, writes in her epilogue, "For Carl, what mattered most was what was true, not merely what would make us feel better. Even at [the moment of death] when anyone would be forgiven from turning away from the reality of the situation, Carl was unflinching." So should we be, says this book; the life of our species on our delicately balanced planet depends on it.</p>

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the final book of his astonishing career, Carl Sagan brilliantly examines the burning questions of our lives, our world, and the universe around us. These luminous, entertaining essays travel both the vastness of the cosmos and the intimacy of the human mind, posing such fascinating questions as how did the universe originate and how will it end, and how can we meld science and compassion to meet the challenges of the coming century? Here, too, is a rare, private glimpse of Sagan's thoughts about love, death, and God as he struggled with fatal disease. Ever forward-looking and vibrant with the sparkle of his unquenchable curiosity, Billions & Billions is a testament to one of the great scientific minds of our day.Praise for Billions & Billions“[Sagan's] writing brims with optimism, clarity and compassion.”—Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel “Sagan used the spotlight of his fame to illuminate the abyss into which stupidity, greed, and the lust for power may yet dump us. All of those interests and causes are handsomely represented in Billions & Billions.”—The Washington Post Book World “Astronomer Carl Sagan didn't live to see the millennium, but he probably has done more than any other popular scientist to prepare us for its arrival.”—Atlanta Journal & Constitution “Billions & Billions can be interpreted as the Silent Spring for the current generation.... Human history includes a number of leaders with great minds who gave us theories about our universe and origins that ran contrary to religious dogma. Galileo determined that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around. Darwin challenged Creationism with his Evolution of Species. And now, Sagan has given the world its latest challenge: Billions & Billions.”—San Antonio Express-News “[Sagan's] inspiration and boundless curiosity live on in the gift of his work.”—Seattle Times & Post-Intelligencer “Couldn't stay awake in your high school science classes? This book can help fill in the holes. Acclaimed scientist Carl Sagan combines his logic and knowledge with wit and humor to make a potentially dry subject enjoyable to read.”—The Dallas Morning News

In this book, his last, Carl Sagan shows once again his extraordinary ability to interpret the mysteries of life and the majesty of the universe for the general reader.
In Billions and Billions Sagan applies what we know about science, mathematics, and space to everyday life as well as to the exploration of many essential questions concerning the environment and our future. Ranging far and wide in subject matter, he takes his readers on a soaring journey, from the invention of chess to the possibility of life on Mars, from Monday Night Football to the relationship between the United States and Russia, from global warming to the abortion debate.
And, on a more intimate note, we are given a rare glimpse of the author himself as he movingly describes his valiant fight for his life, his love for his family, and his personal beliefs about death and God.

An amazing book by an amazing man. Carl Sagan is one of my heroes who has shown me how breathtaking the universe is. In this book, Sagan speaks very personally about matters deep to him, issues he was engaged in during his life. He presents arguments like the Prisoner's Dilemma and his solution to the arms race.
The book ends with him talking about his last round of cancer therapy, and is then completed by his wonderful wife Ann Druyan. Though Carl is no longer with us, his memory lives on in the minds of billions of earthlings now and I hope all future generations will appreciate this great man as I do.

In Billions and Billions, Carl Sagan demonstrates his incredible ability to cut through the jargon and misinformation to help us make sense of the world around us as it prepares for the challenges of the coming millennium

2010-10-03