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Meaning
Sagan contrasts violence with measurement to show how a simple tool can be used for understanding as well as harm. The line suggests that human ingenuity can turn an ordinary object into an instrument of knowledge.
When It Was Said
Not documented yet.
Who It Was Said To
Not documented yet.
Historical Context
Not documented yet.
Source
Cosmos (2011)
Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
The phrase appears in the book "Cosmos (2011)" by Carl Sagan (Google Books snippet); no earlier source was checked.
Did You Know?
Not documented yet.
About Carl Sagan
American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. He worked at Harvard as an assistant professor before moving to Cornell University, where he became the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and directed the Laboratory for Planetary Studies. Sagan took an active role in the Mariner, Viking and Voyager programs. He also wrote more than 600 scientific papers and articles, along with several popular science books, beginning with The Cosmic Connection. His The Dragons of Eden won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
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READ THE SOURCE
Books by Carl Sagan
Cosmos
1980
Contact
1986
The Demon-Haunted World
1996
The Dragons of Eden
1977
Billions and billions
1997