The Tyson of public physics

Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Probably the best thing in science to happen in America for decades.

Not an atheist.

His ability to constantly re-explain basic understanding to people, basic logic, and do it without becoming emotional or impatient with them is simply astounding. How is it, that in the year 2016, there are some people who still don't believe in Evolution or climate change? It's laughable, and this is the reaction Neil has at times to these arguments.

Generally, the key debates come down to this:

• Science doesn't know everything and it cannot explain the beginning of everything. Scientists can't understand it because it's God. (4% of matter accounted for)

The counter-argument here is; 'God of the gaps argument'; God then is an ever receding pocket of scientific ignorance. Because science manages to find more and more answers to the nature of the universe, it means that God is an ever receding thing – getting smaller and smaller as time goes on. The day someone stops looking because they're content only in the answer that God did it, is the day you give in to ignorance and the day you abandon sense. If these people subsisted as the large part of the human community, then where would we be? - In a cave gnawing on bark? Development has all been about finding answers where before there were none.

Galileo (Religious man): 'The bible tells you how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go'.

• Aliens Exist.

Counter-argument: 'The argument from ignorance'. You see a UFO – oh, it must be an alien from outer-space. No, it is unidentified, you cannot postulate that and be convinced by that argument. It simply isn't an argument; knowing not what something is shouldn't enable someone to then suggest they know what it is based on not knowing. People are uncomfortable with not knowing, so fill in their understanding with leaps of faith. Science is all about that line between knowing and unknowing – that's a place whose line constantly moves, and this is OK. The argument for ignorance goes from an abject state of ignorance to an abject state of certainty, and this is the problem.

- 'The lowest form of evidence that exists in this world is eye-witness testimony, which is scary because that's some of our highest form of evidence in a court of law'.

- 'human perception system is rife with all ways of getting it wrong'.

- And finally, 'belief in aliens between amateur astronomers and the general public is lower with astronomers because astronomers know what they are actually looking at'

• Big bang? - You've got to be kidding?

We have made observations of the CBR (Cosmic background radiation) to determine the birth of the universe and its expansion; initially as inflation (an idea which came about in the 1970s). So we can generally say with fair confidence that the big bang theory is more than a theory; though gravity is a theory, it seems to work well. The big bang theory was theorised soon after hubble manufactured a new telescope to see in detail the stars and discovered other galaxies in the universe.

• Climate change is a myth.

The problem arises when you deny emerging truth and you wield power over legislation to do anything about it. The key is to educate the electorate, so they can make informed decisions as to vote someone in who follows their understanding, and will make legislative change in accordance with the facts and not their own personal agender or opinion.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson's appeal is that he is an impressive orator. His passions are directly entwined in the field he works in, and conflict only fires him up. He is not only well read, but is able to completely become the discussion and remove ego from the equation to provide understanding and not dwell in opinion. He has no problem with people holding belief in religion, or in aliens or in their abhorent lack of understanding, but only when those beliefs infringe on others and become intolerance.