Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of my favorite science popularizers and a worthy warrior against the rampant anti-intellectualism of today.
"I don't want students who could make the next major breakthrough in renewable energy sources or space travel to have been taught that anything they don't understand, and that nobody yet understands, is divinely constructed and therefore beyond their intellectual capacity. The day that happens, Americans will just sit in awe of what we don't understand, while we watch the rest of the world boldly go where no mortal has gone before." -- Neil deGrasse Tyson
Both the video and the quote are most excellent. I know essentially who Tyson is, but I've not really gotten to know him, as it were. These quotes make me think I should devote some time to him. As you say, a worthy successor to brilliant guys like Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention Sagan. Apparently, Tyson is going to host a new iteration of the famed Cosmos series: Cosmos
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, not until 2013.