A truly brilliant man who sought to make sciences and the love of them accessible to non-scientists. His Cosmos mini-series should be required viewing for anyone interested in understanding the nature of the universe, and our place in it.

How did this guy make the list. How about looking for intelligent life here? You have to accept some pretty fantastic stuff to believe evolution so I guess looking for E.T. doesn't seem so far fetched after that.

A refreshing rationality and honesty can be found in Sagan's writing. He is accused of god hating and anti-religious. I see that (and I suspect he would agree) as less of an accusation than an honour. Despite the demented rantings of creationists and their more subtle relations the ID camp, Sagan's contributions to rational thought and an unbiased understanding of the universe we inhabit will continue to enhance his stature.

I normally would not have attended an event featuring Carl Sagan as the keynote speaker. However, sometime back in the mid-90's, I found myself in the position of having to do so as a videographer helping to record this "momentous" event for the college where I then worked. The subject, of course, was Space, but the actual topic turned out to be Sagan's ongoing hate campaign against religion in general and God specifically. Like so many of his ilk, Carl Sagan had a personal agenda and was taking yet another opportunity to be highly paid for spewing it all over those more than willing to listen to it (myself, not included). I have no doubt that, in his way, he was a brilliant man; but he was also a very angry one. He could barely resist curling his lip and hissing as he continually equated everything ignorant in the world with belief in a higher being. I was truly amazed that he could actually consider the existence of extra-terrestrial beings, which have never been seen, as he stood on the most unique and amazing planet in the known universe and denied the existence of its architect. With all his ballyhooed brilliance, you'd think he would have been able to see that believing that the world could have worked out exactly as it has randomly would be like taking all the parts of a car, throwing them in a wind tunnel and expecting a working car to come out at the end. I guess the concept that something created always requires a creator was just a bit too simplistic for him. Somehow, I think he may know better now.