It's 'hurricane season' only this year is unlike what we've known in the past. Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia and Marie have all gone from tropical storms to hurricanes. Lee, the outlier, got shredded.
To astrophysicist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, we're witnessing not just a succession of severe weather events but the "unraveling of an informed democracy."
7 comments:
In a world gone insane I take solice in a couple of ideas.
"he who ignores history is doomed to repeat its mistakes" and its counterpoint, "he who lives in the past is doomed to never move forward"
The second is, "a scientific fact is something that can be repeated endlessly with the same result" and its counterpoint, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result"
So, in addition to being an astrophysicist, Dr. Tyson is also a social/political analyst?
Which profession is he best at? Usually professional types tend to lean a bit toward "savant syndrome".
It was Ronald Reagan who -- of all people -- declared, "Facts are stubborn things."
Tal, it's not that unusual. Think of Carl Sagan. Even Albert Einstein didn't hesitate to wade into the social/political realm. Ditto for Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk. There are many brilliant but lesser known names who follow the same path. They're scientists, yes, but they're also teachers. They know the critical importance of conveying scientific knowledge to the public and how that requires them to demonstrate how science relates to the ordinary person's life.
Owen, I guess that's why so many industries from tobacco to oil to agricultural chemicals toil so hard to see that stubborn facts remain buried.
So you're saying Dr. Tyson is simply a lover of metaphors and of drawing parallels?
Makes sense. Actually, so am I, for that matter.
Tal, far be it from me to say that Tyson is "simply" anything. He does want to bring science out of the laboratory and into the public realm and I'm sure you find that commendable. We need to reinforce the level of public science knowledge now probably more than at any other time in human history. The less we understand science and accept science the more difficult it will be for all of us to take the tough decisions that future generations will need from us. The future is not milk and honey and for us to pretend otherwise, to dismiss science as uncertain or even a hoax, will only worsen the predicament we bequeath to our heirs and successors.
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