Tyson spoke last night at the Buell Theater, ostensibly for two hours, though with Q&A at the end it was closer to three — a long night, but a good one. +Margie Kleerup and +Kay Hill were there, along with +Stan Pedzick and +Mary Oswell.
Tyson's talk was about "The Cosmic Perspective," and amidst the rambling discussion his primary thesis was on cultures of discovery and exploration — human cultures that, consciously or not, seek out new places, new information, new scientific truths.
Having such a culture, though, doesn't necessarily last. He noted the contrast between the Golden Age of Islam that gave the world such advances in mathematics, astronomy, optics, and other areas — and how it faded when mathematics became devalued as not being a spiritual pursuit, and the explanation "Allah wills it" took the place of scientific inquiry.
He drew a line from there to changes in American attitudes toward science and discovery, and trends that show the US may on a path of decline if we don't act to reverse those trends.
That said, the discussion and wrap-up were positive and both entertaining and uplifting. Tyson is an engaging and passionate speaker, and a huge, convincing believer in the ability of science to explain the world, fill us with wonder, and help us improve our lives. Some of his commentary, outside scientific topics, was a bit wobbly, and his (demonstrated on-stage) knowledge of Twitter (@neiltyson) is pretty sketchy, but I'd go back and watch him do his thing any time.
Good show.
Im jealous
It was a great lecture, so much discussion on the drive home.
Wish it wasn't on a work/school night since it would have been wonderful to set down at a coffee house and have that discussion with you, +Margie Kleerup and +Kay Hill.
But that leaves the table open for Saturday's dinner.
Also need to talk to +Kay Hill about what her Cold War lessons are about.
Also, we both wondered if +Margie Kleerup noticed the distribution curve before on the 10 Mark note before he zoomed in on it.
+Paula Jones Me too….he is one of my favorite personalities. I would loved to have been there to hear him speak.