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Trish's Reviews > Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
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by
I've liked Neil deGrasse Tyson for a long time. He's a scientist, married to another scientist, has served in the White House, is the director of the Hayden Planetarium, founded the department of astrophysics at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, hosted various TV programmes as well as his own podcast and more. He has an abundance of love and passion for science and it is infectious! He is also one hell of an educator (he himself considers himself more of an educator than a scientist) and has a wonderful way of breaking down the most complex topics so anyone can understand them. Moreover, he seems to consider it his mission to bring science to the masses. His books are usually serving exactly this purpose.
This book, additionally to educating us about how certain aspects of our current world work, teaches us to look at the world and see how far we've come. What we wouldn't have (creature comforts as well as the so-called bare necessities of modern life) if it wasn't for science and research.
To this end, the book is divided into the following chapters:
Overture: Science & Society
1) Truth & Beauty
2) Exploration & Discovery
3) Earth & Moon
4) Conflict & Resolution
5) Risk & Reward
6) Meatarians & Vegetarians
7) Gender & Identity
8) Colour & Race
9) Law & Order
10) Body & Mind
Coda - Life & Death
As you can see from my numerous updates, I was pretty smitten with this book. Yes, it is increasingly difficult to have a positive outlook on life on the Blue Marble. Most people prefer screeching at others who are screeching back in turn instead of having conversations and discussions. Debate culture is dead and there is no progress on anything.
Moreover, personally, I also despair when I look at how little people nowadays actually KNOW. We have more access to more knowledge than any other human in the history of mankind, yet we are too lazy to LEARN. Why? Because we can always google it, I guess. *snorts* We have smartphones and know what button to press for what feature but we don't understand the tech itself. Most people don't even know that the computing power contained in a musical greeting card is all we had and all it took to take us to the Moon! Has the computing power of an iPhone gotten us to Mars? Nope! I feel stagnation and it's driving me up the walls.
We have mastered air transportation but complain about the quality of the food on the flight. An example Tyson himself made (yes, it made me chuckle).
Don't get me started on some people STILL believing that the Earth is flat. It's the end of 2022 and anti-science sentiments are not just on the rise but practically ruling most nations. Granted, when it comes to ruling, it's not as bad as it could be. YET. But we're on a downward slope and it's no longer frustrating but rather scary as fuck!
So with this book, named after Galileo Galilei's groundbreaking text (later retracted after he was tortured by the Catholic Church), Tyson is trying to build bridges. The problem? The people who need to read this are unlikely to buy it or even only know of its existence. In Galilei's time, publications were much rarer and the groundbreaking theory of Earth not being the center of all creation was making waves. Nowadays? This might drown on shelves with other books. And even if not, people will rather burn than read the text.
Nevertheless, I appreciate what the author is trying to do here. Because it is true that the farther you zoom out, the pettier most "problems" appear. It offers a different perspective. After all, we do get to smell flowers and watch sunsets that are nothing short of divine.
So although I was not the target audience since I don't need to be convinced of the importance of research and the correctness of truth and science, I enjoyed reading this - especially since I also got the audio which was read to me by the author himself.
P.S.: The acknowledgements had me crack up. :D
This book, additionally to educating us about how certain aspects of our current world work, teaches us to look at the world and see how far we've come. What we wouldn't have (creature comforts as well as the so-called bare necessities of modern life) if it wasn't for science and research.
To this end, the book is divided into the following chapters:
Overture: Science & Society
1) Truth & Beauty
2) Exploration & Discovery
3) Earth & Moon
4) Conflict & Resolution
5) Risk & Reward
6) Meatarians & Vegetarians
7) Gender & Identity
8) Colour & Race
9) Law & Order
10) Body & Mind
Coda - Life & Death
As you can see from my numerous updates, I was pretty smitten with this book. Yes, it is increasingly difficult to have a positive outlook on life on the Blue Marble. Most people prefer screeching at others who are screeching back in turn instead of having conversations and discussions. Debate culture is dead and there is no progress on anything.
Moreover, personally, I also despair when I look at how little people nowadays actually KNOW. We have more access to more knowledge than any other human in the history of mankind, yet we are too lazy to LEARN. Why? Because we can always google it, I guess. *snorts* We have smartphones and know what button to press for what feature but we don't understand the tech itself. Most people don't even know that the computing power contained in a musical greeting card is all we had and all it took to take us to the Moon! Has the computing power of an iPhone gotten us to Mars? Nope! I feel stagnation and it's driving me up the walls.
We have mastered air transportation but complain about the quality of the food on the flight. An example Tyson himself made (yes, it made me chuckle).
Don't get me started on some people STILL believing that the Earth is flat. It's the end of 2022 and anti-science sentiments are not just on the rise but practically ruling most nations. Granted, when it comes to ruling, it's not as bad as it could be. YET. But we're on a downward slope and it's no longer frustrating but rather scary as fuck!
So with this book, named after Galileo Galilei's groundbreaking text (later retracted after he was tortured by the Catholic Church), Tyson is trying to build bridges. The problem? The people who need to read this are unlikely to buy it or even only know of its existence. In Galilei's time, publications were much rarer and the groundbreaking theory of Earth not being the center of all creation was making waves. Nowadays? This might drown on shelves with other books. And even if not, people will rather burn than read the text.
Nevertheless, I appreciate what the author is trying to do here. Because it is true that the farther you zoom out, the pettier most "problems" appear. It offers a different perspective. After all, we do get to smell flowers and watch sunsets that are nothing short of divine.
So although I was not the target audience since I don't need to be convinced of the importance of research and the correctness of truth and science, I enjoyed reading this - especially since I also got the audio which was read to me by the author himself.
I beseech you to treasure up in your hearts
these my parting words.
Be ashamed to die until you have won some
victory for humanity.
- Horace Mann
P.S.: The acknowledgements had me crack up. :D
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Reading Progress
August 15, 2022
– Shelved
August 15, 2022
– Shelved as:
to-read
November 27, 2022
–
7.75%
"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth‘s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
- Joyce Kilmer"
page
21
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth‘s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
- Joyce Kilmer"
November 27, 2022
–
9.96%
"Knowledge grows exponentially, not linearly.
We shall not cease from exploration
And at the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
- T.S. Eliot
This poem, in the 2nd chapter, emphasizes the importance of exploration, of leaving that cave and learning about the universe.
I disagree about the feeling of living in „special times� though. *"
page
27
We shall not cease from exploration
And at the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
- T.S. Eliot
This poem, in the 2nd chapter, emphasizes the importance of exploration, of leaving that cave and learning about the universe.
I disagree about the feeling of living in „special times� though. *"
November 28, 2022
–
Started Reading
November 28, 2022
–
14.39%
"A fan once asked 20th-century sci-fi novelist Ray Bradbury why he imagined bleak futures. Is civilization doomed? He replied, „No. I write about these futures so that you know to avoid them.�
Damn! The book keeps hitting hard.
If the rest is this good, I‘ll either quote it to death or refrain from saying much more so you‘ll still read it for yourselves! *lol*"
page
39
Damn! The book keeps hitting hard.
If the rest is this good, I‘ll either quote it to death or refrain from saying much more so you‘ll still read it for yourselves! *lol*"
November 28, 2022
–
23.25%
"Ah yes, Werner von Braun, tragic architect behind the moon rockets of the Apollo missions, famously commenting on the success of the V12 ballistic missile, which he had pioneered for Nazi Germany:
The rocket worked perfectly, except for landing on the wrong planet.
(It was launched primarily against London and Antwerp.)
Then come the tropes about Dems and Rs, Fox and other things ... interesting reversals."
page
63
The rocket worked perfectly, except for landing on the wrong planet.
(It was launched primarily against London and Antwerp.)
Then come the tropes about Dems and Rs, Fox and other things ... interesting reversals."
November 28, 2022
–
46.86%
"Chapters 5 and 6 talked about probability and statistics (harmless enough) as well as what we eat (yep, the conflict between meat-eaters and those yelling at us for being horrible human beings).
Not sure his nice ways of addressing those that screech like banshees will work but good luck to him - and to us all."
page
127
Not sure his nice ways of addressing those that screech like banshees will work but good luck to him - and to us all."
November 28, 2022
–
50.55%
"NdGT likening genders to hurricane categories. Muhahahahahahahaha! OK, the scientific fact about the reindeers was funny as well. *chuckles*
Quite a short chapter ... I wonder if he didn't dare dive into it further or if he simply didn't have more to say on the topic."
page
137
Quite a short chapter ... I wonder if he didn't dare dive into it further or if he simply didn't have more to say on the topic."
November 28, 2022
–
61.99%
"After gender, we move on to race and colour.
NdGT nicely pointed out how weird it is that the police (at least in the US) differentiates only between 3 "colours" (5 if one uses the, frankly, stupid and not just racist "red" and "yellow").
Think about it: paint, make-up and hair dye go nuts over shades I can't even perceive but we don't use the same diligence when describing someone outside those industries?"
page
168
NdGT nicely pointed out how weird it is that the police (at least in the US) differentiates only between 3 "colours" (5 if one uses the, frankly, stupid and not just racist "red" and "yellow").
Think about it: paint, make-up and hair dye go nuts over shades I can't even perceive but we don't use the same diligence when describing someone outside those industries?"
November 28, 2022
–
69.0%
"I'm one of those people who has pretty much lost faith in the justice system so this chapter was a bit of a reminder of what it was like in earlier ages. There is a German saying, schlimmer geht immer (engl.: worse is always possible). But we shouldn't have to compare to the Middle Ages to be "grateful". We should be better by now.
The jury duty stories were poignant though and I enjoyed them quite a bit."
page
187
The jury duty stories were poignant though and I enjoyed them quite a bit."
November 28, 2022
–
76.01%
"Oh oh oh! This chapter is cool! It's about the body and mind. It thus talks about anything from abortion to medication of all kind. As a European, I'm amazed with the bipolar situation in America.
It's also about medical equipment (MRIs for example), atomical compositions (like gut bacteria) and other fascinating facts.
And yes, space exploration made many discoveries possible so we shouldn't defund it. :)"
page
206
It's also about medical equipment (MRIs for example), atomical compositions (like gut bacteria) and other fascinating facts.
And yes, space exploration made many discoveries possible so we shouldn't defund it. :)"
November 28, 2022
–
Finished Reading
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by
Yodamom
(new)
Nov 28, 2022 09:52AM
Fabulous review, now I want it even more
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Aw, thanks. Glad I could convince you.
Lovely review, Trish! But � “We have mastered air transportation but complain about the quality of the food on the flight� � but those awful pretzels on the flight are made out of misery and suffering.
Nataliya wrote: "Lovely review, Trish! But � “We have mastered air transportation but complain about the quality of the food on the flight� � but those awful pretzels on the flight are made out of misery and suffer..."*lol* He was talking about some kind of marinara sauce. I admit that I don't like sitting in economy with squalling babies and hyper-aggressive people, then getting nauseous when someone opens their food. But if you think about what it takes for that tin can to lift up off the ground and be steered precisely, it really is ridiculous.
Excelent review, now I want to read this! :)
Alina wrote: "Excelent review, now I want to read this! :)"Good! Another one voluntold! 💪🏻
The audio read by him was just amazing. I can listen to him for hours and hours.
Nataliya wrote: "The audio read by him was just amazing. I can listen to him for hours and hours."Oh yes, he has one fo those soothing voices that simultaneously can spark one's enthusiasm with his own.
Loved this review Trish, I will add this to my to read list, already bought it on Audible so I can listen to the man himself.
