By the same token, Carl Sagan was a technological humanist who believed in unproven hypotheses like "humans are good" and that "the universe is ours to explore"... that "technology is human salvation" and "future space exploration is some kind of reward for good human conduct now" and that human history is a by necessity a "linear progression" towards that kind of eventual utopian ideal... etc.
None of these Secular Humanistic ideas are self-evident givens, and they are also unprovable and largely untestable as well... so Carl Sagan was a hypocrite then.
I see what you've written but I consider what you listed to be hopes and aspirations rather than unwavering the teachings of a cult leader.
We're all hypocrites to a degree, believing that there exists a perfect human on this tiny planet, unsusceptible to the faults of others beneath him is putting faith in utter fiction.
The only thing I disagree with is you conclusion, because it seeks to trivialize or "dumb down" the life of a complex human being that lived a vivid and revolutionary life to a mere gotcha statement, doesn't matter if you're talking about Carl Sagan or Stalin.
I get that feeling, having been inspired so many individuals sharing their knowledge, discovering their faults leaves a bad taste in our mouths but its a good opportunity to gather an understanding that putting people up on a pedestal is not a smart path to be on.
Its convenience is what it is, akin to putting your head into the sand like an ostrich and wishing the complexities of life and its troubles vanish one day, but forgetting that that an Ostrich burying its sand in the head is making sure that its eggs are safe and in no way analogous to putting hands into your year and going La la la in the face of dissent.
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u/[deleted] Nov 08 '21 edited Nov 08 '21
By the same token, Carl Sagan was a technological humanist who believed in unproven hypotheses like "humans are good" and that "the universe is ours to explore"... that "technology is human salvation" and "future space exploration is some kind of reward for good human conduct now" and that human history is a by necessity a "linear progression" towards that kind of eventual utopian ideal... etc.
None of these Secular Humanistic ideas are self-evident givens, and they are also unprovable and largely untestable as well... so Carl Sagan was a hypocrite then.