Flat-earth believers, avoid me! Have you seen this new video?

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Flat Earth believers, avoid me! Have you already seen this new video?

Tar Gábor | 2022-10-27

Neil deGrasse Tyson, the world-renowned American astrophysicist whose YouTube channel with two million followers has become famous for presenting scientific questions in a humorous and accessible way, has published a new book. He believes that views like those held by flat-earthers are perpetuated by the way natural sciences are currently taught. In this video, he talks to a historian of science about his book’s interesting and sometimes shocking approach.

In his new book (Starry Messenger – Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization), the scientist seeks to shed new light on the various fault lines of our civilization (e.g. wars, politics, religion, race, gender) from a cosmic perspective, while emphasising the importance of rational thinking, the pursuit of knowledge, and testing our opinions.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (Photo: haydenplanetarium.org)

About his new book, he gave an hour-long interview a few weeks ago to a historian of science, Michael Shermer, executive director of the American Skeptics Society which publishes the science education magazine Skeptic.

The popularity of flat-earthers is also fuelled by the way of education

Neil deGrasse Tyson argues that while humanity’s access to knowledge is easier than ever, it has never been easier to self-justify untrue claims, ironically made possible primarily by the online space and other mass media that science has created.

The way out of this toxic situation is not some new panacea, but good old science and rational thinking, he stresses.

Neil deGrasse Tyson argues that views such as those held by flat Earth believers are perpetuated by the way natural sciences are currently taught, because science is taught not as a process, not as a means and method of knowing nature and objective truths.

His YouTube channel has two million followers

The astrophysicist is a major science communicator: his YouTube channel, the Emmy-nominated StarTalk podcast, which combines science with humour and pop culture, has 2 million followers.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is also the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, is a frequent media personality. He is particularly keen to expose the unscientific stuff of Hollywood blockbusters.

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