727: Neil deGrasse Tyson | Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization

Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, host of StarTalk Radio, and author. He is kind enough to rejoin us and discuss his latest book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.

• The problems society faces when average citizens lose their ability to distinguish between facts and opinions — and how this can be remedied.
• What some of our dearest opinions look like under the scrutiny of scientific literacy — and why we should feel relief at being proven categorically wrong about some of them.
• As an educator, what Neil's first urge is when he hears people spreading patently false "information" that can be easily dispelled by basic scientific awareness. (Surprisingly enough, it's not to bop them on the head!)
• What the history of mathematics might hint about the average human brain's tendency to avoid thinking statistically and probabilistically.
• Things pondered: Are you a GMO? Eating how many pints of ice cream will kill you? For the benefit of all humanity, who would Neil send into space first? If technology common to us in the 2020s would be unrecognizable to someone from 1990, what will the world look like in 2050?
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/727

Miss any of the conversations we've had with famed science guy Bill Nye? Start catching up with episode 366: Bill Nye | Radical Curiosity Saves the World!

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