All of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast as video in a single large American city in a single year. Not all bits have equal value. It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English - up to fifty words used in correct context - no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese. Advances in medicine and agriculture have saved vastly more lives than have been lost in all the wars in history. A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge. We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think its forever. But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students. It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring. Sceptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense. | 
