General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Carl Sagan's prediction of an America he never lived to see [View all]wnylib
(21,420 posts)depressing, but I don't see it that way. It is one of my favorite books, too, which is why I recognized the quote immediately when I saw it.
Agree that Ecclesiastes cuts through our illusions. In doing that, it points to real spirituality, which makes it uplifting to me and not depressing.
Regarding Sagan, he was not a religious person at all, and generally regarded religion as superstition when taken on a literal level. But he wrote an interesting book on science and religion, titled Dragons of Eden. In that book, he explored the possibility that human thought patterns are similar in science and religion because there are some parallels in Biblical descriptions of creation and scientific theories on evolution. The book covers the difficulties of maintaining objectivity in science because the ways we think and perceive life are influenced by the society we live in and our personal experiences in life. I recommend the book.