Neil deGrasse Tyson Attacks 'Startup Culture,' Demonstrates Lack Of Understanding About Innovation

Techdirt
Oct. 17, 2014

What a fascinating takedown of this phony scientist, I hadn't seen any of the articles linked, though I've always despised the man because he's virulently anti-science in the sense he acts as though theories about facts are facts (for example, global warming). I don't necessarily even fault him for his made-up quotes, it can be excused by a faulty memory, on the other hand acting like scientific theories are facts and saying one must believe in them to be considered "pro-science" turns "science" into a religion, when the opposite is the case. Skepticism and the need for absolute proof before belief is a requirement if one is to draw conclusions about what is fact. Scientific theories on the other hand are people's guesses as to the nature of facts, to confuse the two and act as though scientific theories are facts is not to advocate science but it's opposite. - ChrisLet me say, first off, that I'm generally a fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson. The guy is obviously super smart, tells very entertaining stories, and, in general, I really like the fact that our culture has turned an astrophysicist into something of a rock star. That's awesome. And I say that even after I read Sean Davis' rather epic takedown of Tyson's apparent penchant for fabricating quotes and stories (when it's not necessary) and bad math (that last one is less forgivable for someone supposedly so focused on scientific rigor -- I mean, Tyson famously bitched and bitched about the incorrect star patterns in Titanic, but can't be bothered with the difference between a "mean" and a "median"?). Still, he tends to do this in the interest of storytelling -- and, as I've said in the past, I have no issue with exaggerations for the sake of pure storytelling (though I have serious problems when they're used in journalism).

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