Conversations with Carl Sagan (Literary Conversations)

This is an outstanding read for anyone who is interested in the big picture. Mr. Sagan is a master of revealing man's folly and stresses the importance of critical thinking skills in todays policy decision making. Science and the scientific method as "the" way to understand the world, could not be made any more clear. We have authority in our leadership, but we do not have experts or professionals. Authority has been wrong in the past and it will be wrong again. Without a self corresting "standard" to which conclusions can be drawn (the scientific method), Dr. Sagan, through his many interviews, eloquently reveals the dangers of errant thinking. Carl Sagans perspective on life is needed now more than ever. This is a must read for any responsible forward thinking individual.

Very enjoyable and valuable collection of interviews with Sagan. I have returned to it several times over the years. Many great quotes throughout. A must have for all those with a passion for science and discovery Highly recommended.--Guy P. Harrison, author of Good Thinking: What you need to know to be smarter, safer, wealthier, and wiser

Girlfriend loves it. She's been reading it almost every night before bed, and has found some of the conversations interesting as they give a larger background to Sagan. Both of us were too young to appreciate him while he was alive, but this book brings him to life a bit more than the Cosmos series and some of his videos on Youtube. If you love Carl Sagan, Cosmos, or the cosmos, you will enjoy this book.

Amazon's description of this book was: This volume shows how Sagan, a lifelong skeptic, refined his views and expressed amazement that Earth, for all his belief in extraterrestrial life, encompasses everything about which he cared." After reading the first story I could not figure out what was going on. As you can see from the Table of Contents. This book contains 29 short stories written by amateurs. The only 'conversation' these stories have in common is they contain the WORD Carl somewhere in them. There is NO mention anywhere in this book about Carl Sagan. Carl Sagan did not write a SINGLE sentence in this book. I don't know how they can get away with this

What else is there to say?

I've been a fan of Carl Sagan from 35 years now, so reviewing his points of view on science for me is a pleasure.

I was 'forced' to watch Cosmos in my high school physics class back in 1986. Man, that was probably the best part of high school (except for my time on the debate team). I wish I was more like Mr. Sagan--passionate, articulate, smart and just an all-around swell guy.I've read just about everything by Mr. Sagan--Broca's Brain, Billions and Billions, etc. So, I found all of the interviews in this book to cover almost everything he has done except in a brief, superficial way.And I should have expected this. An interview for radio, TV or a magazine is obviously going to be much shorter than anything written by Mr. Sagan.When Ira Flatow of NPR fame took questions from the audience, the result was predictable. Some lame questions and some softballs. But Mr. Sagan answered the questions with aplomb.The really early interviews were the most interesting. Knowing the fame he achieved later in life, it was fascinating, almost exciting, to read his interviews when he was a "run of the mill" astrophysicist.I can't really recommend this for anyone who has read a lot of his work. The interview are simply too "airy". However, if you've seen just Cosmos or read one or two books, then you'll probably find this quite a good read.

I love reading how the conversations really happened. He came alive again for me, his passion shines.

Really enjoyable collection just they could be in audio/video form....one day perhaps