Micromégas
"The Sirian resumed his discussion with the little mites. He spoke to them with great kindness, although in the depths of his heart he was a little angry that the infinitely small had an almost infinitely great pride."
Voltaire was a great freethinker of his day. He wasn't an atheist - more of a deist actually. Although if he had known modern cosmology (e.g. Big Bang), I believe he may have become a fully fledged atheist. Around 1752 he composed one of the first science fiction short stories, Micromégas, about an inhabitant of Sirius who first made friends with a philosopher from Saturn.
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Michel
Interesting parallel with Sagan.
Jun 22, 2012
zrdm
great book
Jun 22, 2012
Godless Poutine
Thanks for your comments Michel and zrdm!
Jun 22, 2012