Summary of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Masterclass on Scientific Thinking and Communication

18 key takeaways from the renowned astrophysicist, Emmy-nominated host, and bestselling author

masterclass.com

1. Do and say everything from a cosmic perspective. Realize, it’s not that we are here and they are there, and we are human and everything else isn’t. It’s that we are a participant in the great unfolding of the cosmic event. We belong to something bigger than our everyday routine. That sense of awareness, of belonging in the universe, is a gift of astrophysics to human civilization. We are not separate from the universe. We are in the universe, and the universe is within us.
2. The scientific method is doing whatever it takes to not fool yourself into thinking something is true that is not and vice versa. Nature is the ultimate judge. Your methods and tools must allow nature to manifest itself and guide you along your journey of scientific experimentation. The magic of the method is that you can use it to deduce what is true based on what you already know is true. Science is getting closer to the truth when the more you test, the smaller the level of uncertainty gets. When enough tests are repeated by different people in different ways and the results all align, then you get closer to having an objective truth.
3. It’s equally intellectually lazy to blindly agree…