Neil deGrasse Tyson on Science in America
This is a great video featuring the always watchable Neil deGrasse Tyson about what science is and why it is important. It is also slightly depressing. Essentially, if you are against science, you probably don’t understand what science is. From a purely personal point of view, I would also like to add that you are an idiot who needs to assess the way you get information. Science is simply a way to find out information. To test stuff. To learn.
I remember a friend of mine whose mother sold crystals that allegedly helped plants grow. I was young enough to think this was amazing but old enough to be slightly sceptical. I assumed that this had been tested and that was why people spent so much cash on them. But I then discovered that they hadn’t been tested and everyone bought into it on belief alone. Even then, (I was around 10,) I was baffled about this. I wanted to get some identical plants and put crystals in half and see what happens. Sadly I didn’t have enough cash to try this myself and I soon found out that my questioning was actively discouraged. People, especially the people who sold or bought the crystals, didn’t want it tested. It was a valuable lesson.
If you are against science, you are against the kind of progress that allows you to read this on a computer anywhere in the world. I guess it just annoys me that so many are wilfully choosing ignorance and opinion over facts. Actually, I am getting pissed off just writing about it so I will hand over to someone more eloquent – Neil deGrasse Tyson.
