MasterClass – Neil deGrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication

MasterClass – Neil deGrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: There’s hardly anything I say or do that isn’t in some way influenced by a cosmic perspective. When I go up to people, if someone happens to be a little depressed or their life isn’t going as they want it, I remind them that atoms of your body are traceable to stars that have exploded across the galaxy. And out of that scattered enrichment forms next generations of star systems that have the ingredients that will make planets. And in at least one planet, make human life.

Here we are on Earth. You wake up. You have breakfast. Go to work, go to school, take care of the home. We are a participant in an ecosystem. And so when you put all this together, you realize it’s not that we are here and the universe is there. It’s not that we are humans and everything else isn’t. It’s that we are a participant in the great unfolding of cosmic events.

And for me, that gives a sense of belonging. That’s a cosmic perspective that allows you to sort of sit up straight and look around and say, I belong to something bigger than my daily routine. That’s a gift of 20th century astrophysics to civilization. That awareness. That sense of participation. You’re not separate and distinct from the universe. You are part of the universe. You are in the universe The universe is in you.

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I can guarantee you that the most important moments of your life are decided not by what you know, but by how you think. What do you do when you confront a problem you’ve never seen before? Do you say, I’m not trained for this, and walk away? You say, wow, that’s a problem I’ve never seen before. Let me try to solve it. Science literacy is not so much about what you know, but about how your brain is wired for thought, how your brain is wired to ask questions, empowering you to probe knowledge and information that’s out there in the quest for what is objectively true in this world.

Personally, I’d rather live in the reality of what is true, because when I make decisions based on it, they have a chance of arriving at a solution. Challenges, problems that face you, your family, society, the world. As you probably know, there’s, like, a gazillion hours of me on the internet on YouTube, on Vevo, wherever. In almost every case, I’m talking about the universe. There’s a interested reporter who’s asking about black holes, Pluto, the big bang, time travel, god.

What I have reserved for this MasterClass is to show you what’s going on inside of me as I communicate with the public. So what I’m going to share with you is the methods and tools of science that enable us to go from ignorance of what is going on to an understanding of what is going on, and ultimately leading to an established objective truth. To not only find objective truths, but then communicate to others how to get there.

Communication is half the work. Knowing how to do it, that’s the first half. Doing it, that’s the second half. And you’ll see a side of me tha…
Neil deGrasse Tyson was just nine years old when he became fascinated by the mysteries of the cosmos. Today he’s known worldwide for inspiring others to consider the world-and the universe-around us.

The astrophysicist, director at the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City, and science influencer has been a powerful advocate for science literacy with a popular television series and the NYT-bestselling book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. He’s been awarded the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal for his “extraordinary role in exciting the public about the wonders of science.” Now he’s teaching you how he connects with audiences around the world.

In his MasterClass, Neil deGrasse Tyson teaches you how to discover and communicate objective truths in clear, exciting, and engaging ways. Learn to think, measure, and weigh information like a scientist; detect flaws in your own reasoning and navigate cognitive bias; and gauge the credibility of information and ideas. He also teaches you his personal approach to communicating, whether you’re presenting to an audience, delivering a sound bite, or simply conversing with friends and family around the dinner table.

In this online class, you’ll learn about:
– Scientific literacy
– Cognitive bias
– Personal and political truths
– The scientific method
– Making predictions
– Scientific measurement
– Effective communication
– Connecting with an audience
– Creating a sound bite
– Inspiring curiosity

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