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Cosmos Boxed Set (Collector's Edition) Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 61 Reviews)

Watch this series the way you want to watch it
Since many past and present reviews of this series focus on the religious vs. non-religious or purely scientific aspects of the cosmos, it should be noted that it's entirely possible to view this timeless (no pun intended) masterpiece from wherever you stand on that spectrum. While Sagan clearly was not a "believer" in the religious sense, I think he otherwise left it open for each viewer to take from it whatever s/he wanted, which essentially is an invitation to accept at least some form of spirituality regarding how unthinkably vast and humbling the cosmos is. Enjoy this series for what it is and what it isn't, and apply your own belief system to it all...no crime against that.



The best astronomy series
Carl Sagan was the most lively, interesting astronomer of our time. This series with Sagan as the host is a visual feast accompanied by a marvelously enchanting music. And now it is available on DVD, a great improvement over the VHS set which first was available. You'll also love the soundtrack-- be sure to get it on CD for an incredible listening experience. The thirteen hour series is science presented as an astounding journey which was made irresistible to the viewer by Sagan's energetic presentation and impressively beautiful animation. You won't be disappointed with this DVD set!

Appreciation of Cosmos from a Liberal Arts Perspective rather than a Scientific One
In watching Cosmos, one feels awakened to the mysteries, intricacy, beauty and power of the universe.

That being said, I am a very poor student in math and sciences. But Carl Sagan's mission was to "bring science to the people" and the fact that I could be deeply moved by this program, and still learn scientific facts and theories about evolution, relativity, cosmology and to aid me in pondering the "ultimate questions" shows that Sagan was a success.

I first watched Cosmos when I was around eight years old in the second grade. I suppose one could either blame my incompetence and laziness or the public education system for my poor math and science skills. But being a curious eight year old with lots of time on my hands, I began to ponder some of the things Sagan was saying. There are over 100 billion stars in our galaxy. There are over 100 billion galaxies in our universe. One of Sagan's most stirring statements in the series was, "There are a lot of sand grains on the beach. But the number of stars in the universe is greater than all the sand grains on all the beaches on the earth." The episode, "On the Edge of Forever" particularly hooked my imagination, when Sagan discussed cosmic time scales, and seeing Carl Sagan surrounded by white light, contradicting what I was taught in Sunday School by asking how the universe was formed: "The solution of many cultures, is that a God or Goddess created the universe. If we wish to pursue this question courageously, we must ask, where did God come from? These are not easy questions..."

To see the wonder in science, or as William Blake wrote, "To see a world in a grain of Sand/ and a heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And eternity in an hour." This is what Sagan shows us. To criticize Sagan for not being "technical" enough is to criticize Sagan for not being dull enough. Sagan breathes life into the difficult subject of science.

I was twelve years old when I heard that Sagan had died, and I was saddened that the world had lost a great leader. Cosmos is an example of the triumph of humankind over its own tribal superstitions, its cruelty and Cosmos is also a triumph of survival in a long journey toward the stars.

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