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L Greyfort's Reviews > Contact
Contact
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"Your god is too small."
The heroine makes this comment about 2/3 of the way through this novel. She is trying to get across the idea that, if your god cannot encompass the knowlege which humans have so laboriously amassed over the millenia (which is only about two teaspoons worth in comparison to the enormity of the universe!), then there is something wrong with the god you've made for yourself.
A lot of what is going on in Sagan's book, it seems to me, is the attempt to explore and express the wonder that is offered by scientific investigation and knowledge.
The story of the world cooperation to build the Machine to travel into the galaxies -- and the subsequent breakdown of that cooperation -- is a further examination of the conflict between humans who desire to get beyond themselves, and those who are too fearful/threatened/self-absorbed/power-hungry to embark on that journey.
Sagan spends a lot of time in this book giving us an idea of the humongous extent of the universe, and thereby offering his own vision of the transformative possibility inherent in that investigation.
The film of this novel cops out, of course; the film industry is too scared of organized religion to relay the story Sagan is actually telling: belief in something larger than yourself is easy - just look up, around, down, in.
The heroine makes this comment about 2/3 of the way through this novel. She is trying to get across the idea that, if your god cannot encompass the knowlege which humans have so laboriously amassed over the millenia (which is only about two teaspoons worth in comparison to the enormity of the universe!), then there is something wrong with the god you've made for yourself.
A lot of what is going on in Sagan's book, it seems to me, is the attempt to explore and express the wonder that is offered by scientific investigation and knowledge.
The story of the world cooperation to build the Machine to travel into the galaxies -- and the subsequent breakdown of that cooperation -- is a further examination of the conflict between humans who desire to get beyond themselves, and those who are too fearful/threatened/self-absorbed/power-hungry to embark on that journey.
Sagan spends a lot of time in this book giving us an idea of the humongous extent of the universe, and thereby offering his own vision of the transformative possibility inherent in that investigation.
The film of this novel cops out, of course; the film industry is too scared of organized religion to relay the story Sagan is actually telling: belief in something larger than yourself is easy - just look up, around, down, in.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
January 1, 1987
–
Finished Reading
July 2, 2008
– Shelved
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M.J.
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rated it 5 stars
Feb 21, 2011 10:01PM
Good review.
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Your review sounds rather positive, and yet you only rated the book three stars. Could you explain a bit about why it didn't earn those other two stars from you? I'd love to read your criticisms.
He's right though (in the voice of the heroine), our God(s) is too small.
