Neil Tyson's Reviews > Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization

Gorka, indeed. Me too!

Looking forward to it sir

I know when I don't quite understand that there will likely be a YouTube vid on the topic too!

Beautiful beautiful review, already excited! <3

With much love and respect for (all the rest of) your work, if this is an attempt to transcend politics, or apologize, or attempt to get everyone to accept the continually aggressive misinformation campaign and propaganda of the left, this'll be a hard pass. If you want peace in the politiverse, the left needs to come clean about their lies.

Case in point: Jacob Blake was armed when shot by police. Left media (CNN, MSNBC, Politico, etc.) said he was unarmed when shot. What do you call that, Shane? For your information, that's called a lie. It's also dangerous to provoke an already aggitated populace. It might change your life to wake up and look at things objectively. And leftist consiracy here? If you want to call it that, sure.

Is this a harder read for people in a hurry. I found that book to be perfect for people like me who are super interested and curious but don't understand all of the science.

On my top list! ☺️

You have the ability to change people's perspective through scientific inquiry it certainly changed mine, thank you.

Ray, your political b s has no place on Goodreads. Take it elsewhere. I have read this book, and it is decidedly non-partisan, which is a concept I doubt you'd understand.

Shane I have not read the book either but its title indicates that it's an attempt to transcend the study of the universe while minimizing our (humans and all Earth's inhabitants, for that matter) existence, i.e. the pale blue dot perspective. This I agree with. I haven't even read your entire rebuttle to my comment because I won't waste my energy, as I can where you're coming from. The relevance, though, and quickly to my point, is that a "kumbay-yah" type invitation for all to just get along, is redundant unless we all genuinely try.

My political b.s. Denise? What's the book about then? Completely apolitical is it? Why don't you take your b.s. elsewhere, where bliss ignorance is most comfy.

"Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time--war, POLITICS... In a time when our POLITICAL and cultural views feel more polarized than ever..." - from the Goodreads synopsis.

Just watched your interview on CBS. Enjoyed your comments on casinos and the lottery.
And looking forward to reading your book as a non-science person. Thank you.

This book is not partisan. At. All. Clearly, you can't grasp the concept. Unlike you, I have actually read it. At no point is one political opinion promoted over another. The subjects that are discussed include both sides of the debate, when there is one. NdGT does not express partisan preference in this book. If I went elsewhere, at least I'd be spared your ignorant, uneducated b s ramblings. You clearly feel the need to insert your biases into everything, and good luck with that. But spare the rest of us on GR who are here for *civil* discourse on books, not the lame partisan karen rants you're supplying. Your b s has no place on Goodreads.

Ray, clearly you don't think it's possible to discuss political topics without injecting partisanship. Most of the rest of us don't have the same handicap as you. I said this book is decidedly non partisan. It's a factual statement and I stand by it.

Reading now! Loving it

Whew. "Karen" and "pseudo-science", the typical go-to screams of the left. But I want to leave this scene on a positive note.
As I've said, Dr. Tyson, I'm a big fan of your work. And for those who are also fans of the Cosmos series, the most particularly fascinating and enjoyable one for me is the geological history of Earth, wrapped up in a year's time. The simple fact that we humans don't show up on the calender until about two minutes to midnight is fascinating in itself, yet it's only one of the many astonishing perspectives and epochs gone over in that episode. That's must-see TV!

Halfway done and loving it! I like how it gives perspective to contemporary issues at a cosmic level. These thought exercises presented are excellent!

Is there an audio version to enjoy your narration Neil?

Stamatis- I can confirm the Audible version has Neil narrating. Over the last year, I've been trying something new by ordering a hard copy alongside Audible with all my favorite authors. I'd highly recommend either format for Starry Messenger (or try both). I've definitely enjoyed following along the text with Neil's enthusiastic narration.

Neil- I'm about to start chapter 7 about gender, and I love the general concept of the book so far. I'm forever indebted to authors like Bertrand Russell and Sagan that demonstrate how to think rather than what to think. I'm equally grateful to those I would call the perspective shifters- the Douglas Adams that can add the extra to the ordinary. Congrats on a book demonstrating your ability to do both!
I've read all of your books, and I truly appreciate you taking this step of showing the public how to think like a scientist.
However, I do have one suggestion that has been slowly changing into a plea over the last decade. You took the reigns from Carl Sagan and you have done a brilliant job at guiding this generation of Cosmos. But for all of Carl's excellent books, nothing matched the fervor of The Demon Haunted World. I'm 37, and as a millennial kid in the 90s, I was shrouded in pseudoscience. I was so interested in the paranormal activities of the X-Files, the conspiracies of Area 51, or the moon landing hoax becoming so entertaining that Fox allowed a prime time documentary. I stumbled upon The Demon Haunted World as a senior in high-school and it's not an exaggeration to say it changed my life. I didn't know I was picking up a passionate love story, and the deepest of confessions on how incredibly beautiful and mysterious this universe is without the need to add stories for which there is little good evidence. This story of science as our most precious gift doesn't just deserve to be told to a 21st century audience, it must be told. Give our time an updated Baloney Detection Kit (with everything from Dunning-Kruger to the Myside Bias). Do what Carl did and prove that science is exponentially more rewarding than pseudoscience. That's my request! 🙂

Again, divisive comments such as:"go to screams of the left," the earmark of a partisan bully who is the only one bringing up partisan politics and is just assuming the politics of anyone who disagrees with him, have no place in civil discourse or Goodreads.

Shame his "positive note" had to include it, but glad he finally got the hint and left.

Hello Dr. Tyson,

I love the book. Really well presented!

I do have one suggestion though. Your chapter on Teddy Roosevelt misses a large part of his character and the actions he took. Namely his racism towards Asians, especially Filipinos. I strongly recommend the following history book to broaden your knowledge of the multi-faceted character that was Teddy: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

It's fantastic, and one of those books that everyone should read. You teach me again and again to think more critically, more objectively... The vegan in me struggled a bit in veg/meat section, but I'm chewing on it (dairy is way crueler than meat, btw). The trial lawyer in me delighted in the law section--those jury duty stories had me worried I was going to break a rib laughing. :) I love and benefit greatly from your thinking and writing... and am proud of you as well!

@jster thank you for mentioning that. I just finished the vegetarian chapter and it irked me so badly that he's making a case FOR dairy. And I'm so over the "oh no poor plants joke, that one should have died decades ago. All creatures die, but FACTORY FARMING is what changes things into the realm of abhorrent suffering and poor health. Jonathan Safran For predicted a pandemic as a result of our food sources in "Eating Animals" and maybe COVID wasn't exactly from factory farming, but neither was he wrong, and..would climate change be as bad if we didn't clear rainforests for farmland or recall and toss out millions of pounds of meat and dairy from e coli, mad cow, whatever other outbreaks or contamination risks keep happening. A vegetarian kills 1/3 the number of plants as a meat eater does.

The point he was trying to make in this section is not lost on me, but attempts to make it amusing both oversimplify and ignore the reality of the logic and reasoning of a LOT of vegetarians and vegans. If reading this talks anyone out of their plant based lifestyle into a more more planet-destructive one...I just don't think it was worth it.

I love listening to your voice. I was supposed to read the first chapter for my book club (Science Book Club) on Facebook and I find it difficult to turn off. Please keep writing them, the world really need these perspectives right now!

DeGrasse Tyson for president! I would move to Rationalia in a minute!

You should consider including some criticism if you're going to review your own book, lol.

If I were not repulsed by your overwhelming arrogance and lack of respect for when your interlocutors are speaking, I'd probably read it

You are the coolest. I read your books with your voice in mind, miss hearing you on StarTalk and Cosmos.

Was reading the comments even though I had already decided to read the book (have yet to read an NdGT book but am an avid Star Talk listener and never skip a YouTube vid or interview with him), and just wanted to echo/back up Denise, who should not have been alone to call out that awful nonsense Ray was spewing. Unless everyone else simply could not be bothered to engage such a passionately, intentionally ignorant person…couldn’t blame y’all for that. I’d probably be more sane and less stressed in life avoiding engagement with the Rays of the world, but like Denise, I believe there to be value in doing so in the manner that she did. Had I been following along at the time the comments were made, I doubt I would’ve shown her patience and careful obliteration of every point he made - or tried to make, rather. And without having even read the book! Lest we forget the most absurd part of his “left wing conspiracy” thesis that I have a feeling I’ll come across in the comments section of many other brilliant GR books.

I'm about halfway through reading Starry Messenger, and am very much enjoying it. We are, I believe, all more the same than different. Too bad so many don't really grasp that concept.

How can a scientist so focused on the stars believe that the universe revolves around the USA?

@codylink fairly sure the book is geared to Americans to give Americans some perspective (as Neil is an essential American scientist and figure). It would be hard to give the same talk to citizens of other countries given that Neil is a born and raised American

I wonder if a similar comment would be made if a scientist from another country wrote a book from their own perspective relative to their home country. Would people accuse them of thinking the universe revolves around the UK, Japan, India, Russia, etc.? Imagine someone saying that to Hawking.

Ray. I admire for being the Hallmark of objective thinking.
Thanks so much

Just added it to my goodreads list. Looking forward to reading it!

The fact that people actually think this comment was written by Neil Degrasse Tyson 😭😂 welcome to the internet folks…

Imagine caring whether or not NdeGT actually wrote the review ... as if it mattered. Welcome to intelligent discourse.

I'm amazed by the number if commenter's who have not read the book. What has happened to Goodreads?