Right. The kid was saying the same thing, in a way. The question presupposed the existence of the cow. Making an apple pie “from scratch” presupposes the existence of apples. Both presuppose the existence of the universe.
Carl said this, in response to “from scratch”, to make the broader point that we shouldn’t assume the universe has always existed in its present state. Nothing smarmy about it. And, it worked very well. The quote is well-known 50 years later, the point is taken.
Carl Sagan said that you need a universe first.
Imagine the universe as a spherical cow.
Physics would be a lot simpler if all cows were spherical
I’d imagine milking them would be somewhat more complex though
Right. The kid was saying the same thing, in a way. The question presupposed the existence of the cow. Making an apple pie “from scratch” presupposes the existence of apples. Both presuppose the existence of the universe.
The only person who could be more smarmy in that regard than Neal deGrasse Tyson.
Carl said this, in response to “from scratch”, to make the broader point that we shouldn’t assume the universe has always existed in its present state. Nothing smarmy about it. And, it worked very well. The quote is well-known 50 years later, the point is taken.
Neal, yeah, a smarmy egotist, no doubt.
You’re not wrong, and it wasn’t really a knock against either of them.
It is being smarmy, because that’s not how people normally think or talk. IMO, Sagan has earned the right. Tyson has not.