Comment: Assuming intelligence is the universe’s goal mistakes both evolution’s indifference and our place within it. Conversational Leadership invites us to question such presumptions, not reinforce them.The assumption that technical civilizations must necessarily make an appearance, even after many billions of years of biological evolution, implies that the ultimate purpose, or goal, in the formation of stars and planets is the production of intelligent beings and technical civilizations — an idealistic and teleological view.
Credit: Carl Sagan
Source: Intelligent Life in the Universe (p. 379), 1966
Posts where this quotation is embedded
- Why Does Human Life Exist? ** Why are we here?
Quotations: Carl Sagan (4)
Videos: Carl Sagan (1)
Image Credits: Pixabay
(Pixabay)In-person, 7–11 September 2026, Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. Many leadership approaches still rely on control, expertise, and tools that no longer fit the realities people face.
This week-long immersive workshop brings people together to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience. It is not a training course but a space to slow down, think together, and explore how leadership emerges through dialogue, responsibility, and real engagement.