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.
No, that was to bake a pie. He didn’t say universe before cow.
Therefore, cow is infinite.
Obviously when discussing milking cows, we assume a spherical cow universe.
Why not cow-shaped universe?
Asking for a friend.
Because spheres make the calculations easier.
Imagine the universe as a spherical cow.
Physics would be a lot simpler if all cows were spherical
Me, an engineer: They aren’t?
I’d imagine milking them would be somewhat more complex though
Yeah, that’s why I prefer cubic cows. They’re much easier to pack, too.
Efficiently packing 17 square cows.
This is the Superwaffle Debacle all over again!
flips syrup table and leaves
Certainly easier to get a proper angle on 'em.
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.
Reminder that “smarmy” necessarily implies insincerity, not just a funny way of talking.