Neil deGrasse Tyson: Politicians Denying Science Is ‘Beginning Of The End Of An Informed Democracy’

[kpete]

What will you be doing on Monday, 4/20, at 11 p.m.?


Perhaps watching the premiere of acclaimed astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson’s new show StarTalk. Tyson, who may be best known for hosting the reboot of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series in 2014, will now be appearing weekly on the National Geographic Channel in what may be the first late-night science talk show.

ThinkProgress was lucky enough to snag a few minutes of Tyson’s time to ask him about his new show, his feelings on how the media covers science, what we can do about climate change, and more:

You can’t just cherry-pick data and choose what is true about the world and what isn’t.

Going forward, can you predict where the conversation around climate change will be in a decade or two? And maybe where we’ll be in meeting the challenges it poses?

Neil deGrasse Tyson: I can’t predict where it will be, but I can suggest where it should go. The conversation that needs to happen — here it is: you have conservatives and liberals in a room, people with power, let’s say they are representatives or senators. They shake hands and say, “ok humans are changing the climate of this planet, this is the consensus of scientific experiments being conducted, what policy and legislation should we debate in the face of the information?”

The Republican is thinking different suggestions from the Democrat, and that is the healthy political conversation that should unfold. Should there be carbon credits or not? Should there be trade regulations or not? Should we invest in solar panels rather than clean coal?

That would be a fruitful debate that could be held in the political arena. But the moment the politicians start saying they are in denial of what the scientists are telling them, of what the consensus of scientific experiments demonstrates, that is the beginning of the end of an informed democracy.

Lots more:
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/18/3647978/neil-degrasse-tysons-new-show-will-blow-your-mind-on-4-20/

[daredtowork]

1. It starts with the Texas Textbooks

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/12/the-plan-to-get-climate-change-denial-into-schools/383540/

[hifiguy]

2. And the religulous idiots

who think that The Flintstones was a documentary. And it all goes to hell in a handbasket from there.

[okaawhatever]

3. I love his quote "the great thing about science is that it's true, whether or not you believe in it"

[MisterP]

4. or end of the beginning, more likely--when were we an informed democracy?

[beam me up scottie]

5. Don't forget anti-vaccination liberals like Robert Kennedy.

Conservatives aren't the only science deniers.

[Heidi]

6. Kick!