This cosmic perspective naturally leads to humility. When we grasp that countless stars host worlds we may never see, our pretensions to absolute importance begin to dissolve. Yet Sagan’s point is not to make life feel meaningless; instead, he uses insignificance as a bridge to moral seriousness. If life is rare and fragile in the universe, then every conscious being becomes infinitely precious. In this way, scientific humility feeds directly into ethical concern, shaping how we choose to act toward others. [...]
