Who said this?

[Harry Monroe]

"Thomas Jefferson taught that a democracy was impractical unless the people were educated. No matter how stringent the protections of the people might be in constitutions or common law, there would always be a temptation, Jefferson thought, for the powerful, the wealthy, and the unscrupulous to undermine the ideal of govermnent run by and for ordinary citizens. The antidote is vigorous support for the expression of unpopular views, widespread literacy, substantive debate, a common familiarity with critical thinking, and skepticism of pronouncements of those in authority - which are all also central to the scientific method"

(Hint: He's an author and a scientist)

[BlooInBloo]

1. I did.

:P

[leftstreet]

2. Carl Sagan

:hi:

[Harry Monroe]

5. And we have a winner!!

Damn that was quick!!

Excerpt from Carl Sagan's book, "Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millenium"

I just think that those are some of the best sentences the late Carl Sagan ever wrote!!

[leftstreet]

7. ...

yes, some of his best

RIP Carl

:cry:

[BlooInBloo]

8. Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

:P

[TahitiNut]

6. ...

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=214&topic_id=144125&mesg_id=144288

[leftstreet]

9. Hey, that's an interesting thread

snip from
ayeshahaqqiqa (1000+ posts) Sat Aug-25-07 08:59 AM

Response to Original message
37. Interesting, then, isn't it that science and mathematics were kept alive during the European Dark Ages by the Islamic scholars who interpreted the Qur'an to be saying that mankind should, indeed, explore all of God's creation and to understand it as fully as possible. I don't recall any Islamic scholar of that time, or Galileo's time, being asked to recant his discoveries.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

3. ABE LINCOLN????

[elleng]

4. Carl Sagan

http://science.box.sk/forum.php?thread=1171&did=edge758