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Chapter 19: No such things as a dumb question

You can discuss Chapter 19: No such things as a dumb question here in this thread.

Sagan mentions short term gratification permeating our culture.

I'm wondering what Sagan would think about the culture of today and the apparent addiction (IMO) to instant gratification and and over stimulation?
Does the use of technology have anything to do with it?
The technology of today is largely for entertainment and to make life "easier" so you can have more time to be entertained.

Sagan also mentions how adults seem to be put off by scientific questions.
Materialism and The Secular Society seems to offer no remedy.
Actually, I'd say it exacerbates the situation. Western secular values seem to promote the building of personal identity by the acquisition of material goods as a means to achieve status.

I'm wondering if Sagan will drop the implicit argument that "religion is a detriment to wonder" for a moment and discuss any evidence that a secular society will start people "wondering" more about the natural world.

But, I agree with a lot of what Sagan says in this chapter.

I'm struggling through this chapter. It is very America orientated, which is OK, but I'm just trying not to merely compare statistics.

We are a small island with history everywhere we look - we have similar problems with some children starting and leaving school and never even learning to read or write.....they sort of slip through the net.....and also many more doing art and creative subjects at university - because the science subjects take much more work.

Little children ask the same wonderful fundamental questions all over the globe......What is the biggest number? How deep can you dig a hole?

However, I think I'll move on to the next chapter now as I can't really think of anything constructive to say here. I mean, short of 'Oh yes, isn't it awful'?

It is very America orientated, which is OK,

It always seems to be all about us whenever an american says something or comments about the troubles of society.

some cultures don't want to share the same values.
some people do value life and love to wonder about existence, but they do it using a different lens.

maybe Sagan was guilty of thinking that to look through his lens would be to value life, love nature, and wonder the way it SHOULD BE DONE.
That's wrong.

ant wrote:some cultures don't want to share the same values.
some people do value life and love to wonder about existence, but they do it using a different lens.

If they value life and love to wonder about existence, then they necessarily share the same values, regardless of which lens they use to arrive at those values. Did you mean to say they arrive at their values by other means?