Carl Sagan has a new book coming out next week.

[bananas]

It'll probably make a good Christmas present.

[CJCRANE]

1. Are you sure?

I thought Carl Sagan was...you know, not with us any longer.

[charlie]

2. Repackaged lectures

http://www.powells.com/biblio/1594201072?&PID=30700

[bananas]

5. The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for G...

The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan

<snip>

Review:
"Find here a major fraction of this stunningly valuable legacy left to all of us by a great human being. I miss him so." Kurt Vonnegut

Synopsis:
In his charmingly down-to-earth voice, the late astronomer Carl Sagan discusses the relationship between religion and science and describes his own personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos.In his charmingly down-to-earth voice, the late astronomer Carl Sagan discusses the relationship between religion and science and describes his own personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos.

<snip>

[beam me up scottie]

8. Right. Like charlie said, repackaged lectures.

The 1985 Gifford lectures to be more precise.

Edited by his widow, Ann Druyan who apparently shared her husband's views on religion:

"I think the roots of this antagonism to science run very deep. They're ancient. We see them in Genesis, this first story, this founding myth of ours, in which the first humans are doomed and cursed eternally for asking a question, for partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. It's puzzling that Eden is synonymous with paradise when, if you think about it at all, it's more like a maximum-security prison with twenty-four hour surveillance. It's a horrible place. Adam and Eve have no childhood. They awaken full-grown. What is a human being without a childhood? Our long childhood is a critical feature of our species. It differentiates us, to a degree, from most other species. We take a longer time to mature. We depend upon these formative years and the social fabric to learn many of the things we need to know."

—Ann Druyan talking to CSICOP <1>

[flyingfysh]

3. dead people can have books published

After all, my father-in-law was still getting patents 2 years after he died (really!). You probably have products in your home that he invented.

[charlie]

4. Ayup

And not just old stuff published posthumously. The V C Andrews (d 1986) and Lawrence Sanders (d 1998) franchises are still cranking 'em out.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. And even worse in the case of Robert Ludlum

From today's issue of Private Eye, a UK satirical/investigative magazine (this is in the serious book review section):

One thing missing from The Bancroft Strategy, the new thriller Orion says is "by Robert Ludlum": any obvious indication that Ludlum died in 2001.

At least in the case of Virginia Andrews (d. 1986), posthumous productions have been signalled by an admission on the cover that a ghostwriter was responsible. Orion's handling of this tricky issue is a more blatant swiz, with no mention of the supposed author's death in the blurb or biog details.

Only someone peering at the copyright-page small print will find a note that the book was "prepared and edited" after his death with a "carefully selected author", and this cannily implies the nameless ghost refined rather than penned it. Ludlum even apparently "asserted his moral right as author", presumably via a ouija board or by thrusting his hand Carrie-style out of the grave.

[PreacherCasey]

6. I picked up the Cosmos DVD set off ebay for $25 bucks

a while back. It came from Japan but the audio is in English. There were plenty more available when I got mine. Nice.

[kwassa]

7. Is he writing from heaven?

[beam me up scottie]

9. This is a must have for Sagan fans.

A more accurate review:

Kirkus Reviews:

Sagan's 1985 Gifford lectures, edited by his widow. Launched in 1888, this Scottish university lecture series invites speakers to explore how the natural world illuminates issues of theology. The noted American astronomer took it as an opportunity for a broad examination of the relationship between science and religion. Drawing on Thomas Carlyle's dictum that wonder is the basis of worship, Sagan begins with a series of astronomical images, displaying the vast scope of the universe as revealed by science. He then cites Thomas Paine, noting that our idea that God is intimately concerned with the doings of creatures on one tiny planet betrays a limited conception of the deity. Beginning with Copernicus, science has steadily demonstrated the insignificance of Earth and its creatures in the grand design of the universe. In his view, the adoption by some cosmologists of the anthropic principle-the argument that the universe appears to be designed to support intelligent life-is a retreat from the lessons of Copernicus and his scientific heirs. Sagan extends this line of argument by examining several ideas common to his work: scientific evidence for the chemical origins of life on Earth, the likelihood of multiple inhabited worlds and the question of possible contact with aliens. (He remains skeptical that such contact has occurred.) He examines the "God hypothesis" from the viewpoint of science, noting that an omnipotent God could have left an early statement of some modern scientific discovery as unambiguous proof of His existence. The lectures end on a sober note, with Sagan considering the possibility of humankind's destroying itself in a nuclear war. A lively set of exchanges with audiencemembers is a welcome bonus. A fitting memorial to one of the great popularizers of scientific thought.

Agent: Katherine Cluverius/ICM

[salvorhardin]

10. If you can't wait for the book

Or even if you can, I recommend listening to Ann Druyan on the Sep. 15th Point of Inquiry podcast.

In this discussion with DJ Grothe, she stresses the point that people can have a sense of awe and wonder about the universe without having to believe in God or the supernatural, discusses the work of Carl Sagan and his lasting impact, examines the growing need for scientific literacy in our society, and shares why, despite the current cultural war against science, she is optimistic about the future.

Also in this episode, Carl Sagan’s last public address for CSICOP, from its conference in Seattle in 1994, is presented in its entirety. In this keynote, entitled “Wonder and Skepticism”, Sagan eloquently conveys prescient insights about the future of science and technology, argues why science is the best way of looking at the world, shares almost prophetic statements about the cultural war against science in America today, passionately calls for tempering skepticism with a humane understanding of why it is so easy in our society to not be skeptical, and encourages the listener to foster such appreciation for this kind of skepticism especially among young people.

And in addition, Lauren Becker shares a moving piece entitled “The Gifts of Carl Sagan.”

http://www.pointofinquiry.org/?p=68
MP3 download: http://libsyn.com/media/pointofinquiry/9-15-06.mp3