There was a particular tree of which we were not to partake, a tree of knowledge. Knowledge and understanding and wisdom were forbidden to us in this story. We were to be kept ignorant. But we couldn't help ourselves. We were starving for knowledge----created hunger, you might say. This was the origin of all our troubles. In particular, it is why we no longer live in a garden: We found out too much. So long as we were incurious and obedient, I imagine, we could console ourselves with our importance and centrality, and tell ourselves that we were the reason the Universe was made. As we began to indulge our curiosity, though, to explore, to learn how the Universe really is, we expelled ourselves from Eden. Angels with a flaming sword were set as sentries at the gates of Paradise to bar our return. The gardeners became exiles and wanderers. Occasionally we mourn that lost world, but that, it seems to me, is maudlin and sentimental. We could not happily have remained ignorant forever... The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is then determined only by our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life's meaning. We long for a Parent to care for us, to forgive us our errors, to save us from our childish mistakes. But knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring fable. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal. On behalf of Earthlife, I urge that, with full knowledge of our limitations, we vastly increase our knowledge of the Solar System and then begin to settle other worlds.

Carl Sagan: Pale Blue Dot

曾经有一棵我们未曾分享的特殊的树，一棵知识之树。知识和理解还有智慧在这个故事里是不许我们接触的。我们只能一直处于无知状态。可是我们不由自主。我们渴求知识----结果引起了饥饿，大家也许会说。这就是我们所有烦恼的根源。尤其我们再也不能生活在乐园里的原因就在于此。我们发现的东西太多太多。我猜想，如果我们没有好奇心而且听天由命，我们就能为我们的重要性和核心地位感到自慰，告诉自己我们就是宇宙被创造出来的理由。然而，当我们开始沉湎于好奇心，开始探索，开始了解宇宙的本来面貌的时侯，我们就把自己赶走了伊甸园。天命们手执直冒火焰的利剑，被派去守卫天堂的大门，不许我们重返乐园。乐园中人变成了流放者和流浪者。我们偶然对那个失去的天地感到悲痛，不过在我看来，那是感情脆弱多愁善感的表现。我们不可能甘心情愿永远保持无知。......因此我们生命和我们这个易碎的星球的意义只能由我们自身的智慧和勇气来决定。我们才是生命意义的护卫者。我们渴望一位家长关怀我们，原谅我们的过失，帮助我们避免犯下幼稚的错误。可是知识总比无知更为可取。信奉无情真理远远胜于一则让人宽心的神话。我们如果渴望得到某种宇宙的效用，那么就让我们大家来发现一个值得追求的目标。为了地球生命的利益，我竭力主张，在充分认识我们局限的时侯，我们要大力增进我们对太阳系的认识，然后开始进军其他星球。

卡尔•萨根：《浅蓝圆点》
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