The Essentials- Science: Standing with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Other Midgets Like Me

In my previous hypothesis post I referred to a scientist’s utility belt.  At the moment I included that term in the post I knew I had to write this post, posthaste.  I had to write this post in order to give proper credit to the person I heard describe a scientist’s utility belt: Neil deGrasse Tyson.  I’m a big fan of Neil’s and enjoy his podcast Startalk and his work on the PBS series NOVA Science Now. 

As described on the internet, Neil (I call him Neil because in my mind we’re tight) is an American astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and popularizer of science.  I heard him talk about the utility belt in an interview with Steven Colbert.  I highly recommend listening to the whole interview but if you want to hear the utility belt comment start at 30:00 then continue on from there.

One of the great things about Neil is that he knows science and he knows how to communicate science.  He also loves and is impressed by it and expresses that every time he talks.  When an elevated degree of drama is required by his subject matter he’ll drop the tone of his voice to a deep and slow baritone allowing the words to resonate with the grandeur they deserve.

You may wonder why, if I hold Neil in such high regard, I would call him a midget.  The reason I’m comfortable with this portrayal is because Neil said it about himself.  He was referring to an Isaac Newton quote, which is also one of my favorites, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.  In response to this notion, and out of reverence for Newton’s work, Neil thought the quote should have been stated “If I have seen further it is because I am standing among midgets.”  

This is why I am big Fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Now back to the utility belt, and back to more from Neil (I’ll paraphrase from here). When asked, “What is science?” and “Is science a bunch of facts?” Neil responded that you don't want someone who can spew out a bunch of facts; you want someone who can figure stuff out.  Science is an understanding of the relationships that are the natural world. A scientist wears a utility belt full of gear that helps interpret the world.  He was careful to distinguish the utility belt from a tool belt.  He said scientists don’t wear a tool belt because if you have a hammer all of your problems look like nails and maybe they're not, maybe their more subtle than that. Some of the implements available to a scientist are mathematical relationships, physical concepts, and knowledge and systems for how to inquire.

One of Neil’s motivations is in increasing scientific literacy for all and that is why I stand next to him, among the other midgets, and so can you if you want.