Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson – A Fascinatingly Disturbing Thought
This video is a segment of Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s March 26 talk on Cosmic Quandaries in St. Petersburg, Florida. Though the entire talk is well over an hour long, I found this particular segment, featuring Tyson delivering some incredibly interesting thoughts on the nature of the universe and our place within it, to be both engaging and exciting. I recently finished reading Dr. Tyson’s Space Chronicles in which he goes into greater detail on some of the subjects mentioned in this video, as well as his views on NASA, the future of space travel, and America’s role in that future…all subjects I find very interesting. If you enjoy the video, I highly recommend Space Chronicles.
Wow. I’m definitely going to check out that book.
April 21, 2012 at 5:30 pm
I hope you do ariadnesdaughter and if so let me know what you think of it!
April 21, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Will do!
April 21, 2012 at 5:37 pm
April 21, 2012 at 5:44 pm
I listened to the whole thing! I’m so glad you posted this. I’m off to get Space Chronicles. This is interesting, Alex. Thank you for posting it.
April 21, 2012 at 8:47 pm
I hope you enjoy it George. I couldn’t put it down. He writes as clearly, passionately, and as intelligently as he speaks. And of course, it helps that it’s a subject I enjoy greatly. Let me know what you think!
April 22, 2012 at 5:21 am
Not only is he a fascinating speaker, but I loved how he used his hands, almost like
he was conducting a symphony..Thanks for sharing this!
April 21, 2012 at 8:57 pm
I never really noticed this before Suzanne, but you’re very right! I think it’s a sign of someone deeply caught up and excited about what he’s saying.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
April 22, 2012 at 5:31 am
I really did, he obviously is passionate about his work, and I loved his sense of humor!
April 22, 2012 at 6:00 am
All the elements of a great communicator. Watching him speak on a stage, or at a podium, has the ‘feel’ as if you’re sitting with him at a table over a cup of coffee. He is able to communicate at that level. I don’t think he’s unique in this aspect. I think we all have this excitement, this passion, in us. We just need to discover what it is that brings it out.
April 22, 2012 at 7:12 am
I couldn’t agree more..well said!
April 22, 2012 at 7:13 am
seen him on tv before. on the daily show with jon stewart and guest on the big bang theory. very good speaker.
April 21, 2012 at 10:11 pm
A very good speaker indeed Rich. I don’t watch TV, but I’ve watched A LOT of Tyson’s videos on youtube. I have to confess to never having seen Big Bang Theory, I’ve heard much about it…but I think my disdain for sitcoms keeps me away. Maybe I need to check it out.
April 22, 2012 at 5:42 am
He’s absolutely right… few people realise that when we say “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” it’s a literal description of where we come from and where we’re going to.
It’s perfect recycling.
He’s not the first to say it either – Sagan said, in Cosmos, that we are all star stuff.
I highly recommend meditating on it.
Think about it for a little while – you have, within you, the stuff of stars. You are made of elements that are billions of years old. Stars have literally lived and died so that you may be alive today. For all we know, many civilisations may have come and gone in those same star systems – you may have within you, the very atoms that once made up an entirely alien life form.
Now imagine that you could tap into those atoms, like you’re reading the Akashic Records themselves – that you could experience their lives, feel what they felt, see what they saw, wander amongst the stars as they once did.
It blows my mind.
April 21, 2012 at 10:39 pm
Mind blowing, indeed, Richard. And I can clearly hear Sagan saying the words ‘We are star stuff.’. I get that same sense of awe and wonder when I hear Tyson speak of stars exploding and ‘spewing their chemically enriched guts’. Equally mind blowing is knowing the atoms in my right hand probably came from a different star then the atoms in my left.
In a sense, the pragmatic may consider us a part of a billions of years chain of perfect recycling, while the romantic considers us star dust. Either thoughts are equally correct, and to me equally awe-inspiring. I kinda like thinking about it as that our atoms are part of a lending library of atoms from the cosmos and are on loan to us for the duration of our lives.
April 22, 2012 at 6:46 am
I like the lending library analogy LOL We’re just borrowing these atoms… we have to give them back
Sounds like something Doctor Who would say 
April 22, 2012 at 8:26 am
There you go with Dr Who! I so feel out of the Dr Who circle! I may have to start watching it on Netflix. I’m just completely lost as to where to start, it feels like the beginning of a long journey with the choice of countless roads on which to begin. Faced with so many choices, I’m frozen.
April 22, 2012 at 9:02 am
Start with the new stuff… the one with the blue TARDIS as the logo… there are six seasons, each with 13 episodes… the first season is Christopher Eccleston, seasons 2 to 4 are David Tennant (most folk’s favourite) and then seasons 5 and 6 are Matt Smith. Don’t judge it too much on the early episodes – especially the very first (which is very much in the style of old-school Who) – but it gets better.
I feel like I’m going to be responsible for an addiction here LOL
April 22, 2012 at 9:44 am
Ok…I’ve read your instructions…twice! And I think I understand them.
Oh…and yes, you will be held completely responsible!
April 22, 2012 at 10:07 am
Wow, Alex…that was very interesting and thought-provoking. I loved how engaging he was as a speaker and loved his humor. Just, wow! Thank you for sharing all these amazing things..I really enjoy your posts!
April 22, 2012 at 8:18 am
Thanks whitelady, I’m happy your enjoyed it.
As an educator yourself I’m certain you understand the difference passion, excitement, and humor brings to the act of educating…both for the one doing the teaching as well as the ones doing the learning. Also…as an educator, this places you in one of my very favorite groups of people. Thank you for that!
April 22, 2012 at 9:30 am
You are the sweetest!!
April 22, 2012 at 9:32 am
Just stating facts
April 22, 2012 at 10:08 am
mindblowing video, and he just explains it so amazingly well…
April 22, 2012 at 3:28 pm
As mentioned above, he’s definitely one of our great communicators. Thanks for the visit as well as the comment Rincewind!
April 23, 2012 at 4:39 am
Yeah, it took me the whole week to find the time to watch it, but it was very much worth the wait.
I’ve come across the bit about star stuff nd elements in two other places – quantum physics and Robert Fulghum, both presented as engagingly as Neil did.
I didn’t find his disturbing that all that disturbing. As a species, we do the best we are capable of with what we have.
Waht is disturbing is some of what we as a species decide is worth the effort.
April 22, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Good morning Guapo, thanks for the comment as well as finding the time for the video! I know it’s a bit long.
I’m not familiar with Robert Fulgham and while I am familiar with quantum mechanics, it’s only that…familiar. I’ve done some reading and have had physicists friends try to explain…it’s very difficult to wrap my head around it, but it is extremely interesting!
I think the key to what Tyson is saying here, based on our conception of intelligence, is indeed fascinatingly disturbing…the emphasis being on the word ‘fascinatingly’.
April 23, 2012 at 5:01 am
I watched the whole thing. He does well with connecting the dots and sure is thought provoking. He is also quite engaging and off-the-charts brilliant!
April 23, 2012 at 6:07 am
Thanks for watching Frank! And yes, you said it perfectly…off the charts brilliance! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I thought that you might!
April 23, 2012 at 8:15 am
Fascinating! Thanks for posting this part.
April 30, 2012 at 5:41 am
Truly fascinating and disturbing. Just 1% makes all the difference
June 18, 2012 at 10:21 am