Starry Messenger
Ratings2
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings2
Average rating3.8
Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson, bestselling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time-war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, race, and tribalism-in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all. In a time when our political and cultural perspectives feel more divisive than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin engines of enlightenment-a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. After thinking deeply about how a scientist views the world and about what Earth looks like from space, Tyson has found that terrestrial thoughts change as our brain resets and recalibrates life's priorities, along with the actions we might take in response. As a result, no outlook on culture, society, or civilisation remains untouched. In Starry Messenger, Tyson reveals just how human the enterprise of science is. Far from a cold, unfeeling undertaking, scientific methods, tools, and discoveries have shaped modern civilisation and created the landscape we've built for ourselves on which to live, work, and play. Tyson shows how an infusion of science and rational thinking renders worldviews deeper and more informed than ever before-and exposes unfounded perspectives and unjustified emotions. With crystalline prose and an abundance of evidence, Starry Messenger walks us through the scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From lessons on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, ten surprising, brilliant, and beautiful truths of human society, informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe.
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Starry Messenger is a stark deviation from Neil DeGrasse Tyson's other books. Here Neil delves into more controversial topics, such as race, religion, the value of human life, and politics, and tries to expose them through the perspective of accountability, wisdom, and science. I liked the content as individual pieces—even if the author recycled some from his previous talks, podcasts, and other mediums—but I wanted a more unified message.
The book could use a more consistent tone and narration. Some chapters have mature, serious, and sometimes even gloomy tones, while others remind of the usual funny and somewhat goofy Neils' soundbites. For example, consider the chapter about race, skin color, and slavery: "A key step when you want to feel superior: can't have stupid, inferior Black people walking around who are more educated than you are. <...> Without the African slave trade, there are no romanticized plantations to feed the South's rose-colored memory of itself." Then you also have: "<...> why not take our visiting space alien to ComicCon. <...> The upside? Our alien visitor phones home and instead reports—"They're just like us!". However, the contrasting styles do not necessarily take away from the main points Neil is trying to make.
At times, the book seems like a way for Neil deGrasse Tyson to justify his tweets that have caused backlash over the years. Regarding mass shootings, Neil writes, "<...> I once posted a Tweet that should have been relegated to my Forbidden Twitter File, but I mistakenly thought people would be comforted to know that mass shootings are a tiny fraction of all preventable deaths in the country." Admittedly, owning one's mistakes is valuable, but referencing old controversial tweets does not bring anything new into the fold and only opens old sores. While I feel unaffected, some readers may see tweet references as Neil being out of touch with his audience.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and found the individual chapters compelling, even if Neil recycled some of his thought experiments and ideas from his previous work in other mediums.
