It's a good hypothesis that humanity developing asteroid deflection is more dangerous than not; that the optimal course is to do nothing.
(Fortunately, kinetic impactors like this project are borderline useless/harmless anyway (other than as basic research). Sagan was writing from the more ambitious worldview of the 20th century; a world where, if an asteroid is a problem, you cut a straight line through the problem with nuclear weapons. That's a more hazardous toolset!)
It's a good hypothesis that humanity developing asteroid deflection is more dangerous than not; that the optimal course is to do nothing.
(Fortunately, kinetic impactors like this project are borderline useless/harmless anyway (other than as basic research). Sagan was writing from the more ambitious worldview of the 20th century; a world where, if an asteroid is a problem, you cut a straight line through the problem with nuclear weapons. That's a more hazardous toolset!)