Cosmos

Cosmos Carl Sagan 365pp.

Carl Sagan’s Cosmos is a well-written companion book to his phenomenal television series of the same name. In thirteen chapters, Sagan gives an overview of the beauty of science and the scientific view of the world. Cosmos is one of the best books I have ever read as an introduction to a scientific worldview and the beauty of understanding the world empirically.

It is a testament to Sagan’s immense skill as an author that in thirteen chapters he is able to shift his focus from the origination of life on this or any other planet to scales as large as the observable universe without losing the reader’s interest. Not the least of Sagan’s best writing in the book takes place when he lets himself simply sit back and imagine what life could look like on another planet. Without a doubt, Sagan is passionate about the science he discusses through the whole book, but when he begins to speculate freely, his excitement is infectious.

While I enjoyed his writing and understand that Sagan was working towards establishing the difference between a scientific view (self-correcting and self-questioning) and his understanding of a religious view (authoritative and uncompromising), I found Sagan’s treatment of religion to be a little offputting. It was frustrating to be enraptured by his loving descriptions of intellectual giants such as Copernicus and Gallileo, then be derailed by a paragraph-long diatribe against the Church not immediately cleaving to their discoveries.

Cosmos is an enjoyable book, a treat to any reader interested in viewing the world through the lens of scientific inquiry. For the reader new to science writing, Cosmos will inspire them to further reading and learning. For the veteran lover of science, Cosmos feels like an old friend, welcoming you to walk down the path of humanity’s ever-increasing knowledge of our world and our universe.

Would I recommend Cosmos? Yes.

Score: 3.8/5

Would I keep this on my bookshelf? Surprisingly, no. While Sagan’s writing is brilliant and informative, his treatment is a touch too broad and therefore deals with its subjects a little too simply. When the desire to hear Sagan’s thought strikes me again, I think I will simply stick with his television series.

-Mr. Cheddar