> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> From: orionworks > >> I get the impression that you have not read Sagan's >> book, "Deamon-Haunted World", specifically the chapter >> "The Dragon in my Garage."
> I read the synopsis of Sagan's book Deamon-Haunted World > on the Internet which said he debunked most claims about > E.T.'s, Atlantis, and flying saucers, since I could not > find a copy of his book in the Library. That's a pity. > But the title of > Sagan's book hints that he could not tell the truth about' > E.T.'s living amongst us, since our world is haunted by > Daemons who repress such knowledge publicly and > may prevent him from speaking about it. Sagan debunked uncritical thinking about UFOs, ETs, Atlantis, and flying saucers, not the subject itself. BIG difference. In fact I suspect he had a lot to say on some of these subjects, and particularly on the possibility of ETs having visited our planet. Careful research on Sagan's earlier writings indicates that earlier in his career he was more forthcoming. In Argosy magazine, published back in 1975 the following paragraph might be of interest: * * * * * * * * "Basing his estimate on just one space launching per year by 1,000,000 stars, Sagan believes the earth would have been visited once every 10,000 years. Since our planet is 5,000,000,000 years old, this means that it may have received some 50,000 visits by alien intelligences - one of which may have taken place within historical times." * * * * * * * * ...and here's another interesting piece on Sagan, published in Popular Science Magazine, March 1997, by Arthur Fisher just after Sagan's death. * * * * * * * * "...I interviewed [Sagan] in Washington, D.C., after Mariner 9 had sent back spectacular pictures of the Martian surface. Sagan had acted as head of one of Mariner's imaging teams. That interview, "close-up Photos Reveal a Turbulent Mars," appeared in Popular Science in September 1972. I had originally headlined the story "The Red Planet Isn't Dead," but Sagan pleaded with me to change it. "I'm in enough hot water with some of my colleagues as it is," he said, referring to the resentment felt in conservative scientific quarters over his growing fame as a popularizer." * * * * * * * * Indeed Sagan learned later in his career to be more cautious about expressing certain personal opinions that were not necessarily held by the scientific establishment, particularly on subjects like ET visitations. He knew what side of the bread the butter was spread on - and his career as a popular scientist profited handsomely as a result of exploiting that realization. One does not, however, need to conjure up with mythic interpretations implying that Sagan stopped telling "the truth" because "...our world is haunted by Daemons who repress such knowledge publicly." Your writings indicate to me that you either have a difficult time with, or you simply chose not to distinguish the difference between mythic reality and scientific reality. Both are in my view absolutely important for a fuller more balanced perception on reality, but only if one can distinguish the difference. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
