Neil deGrasse Tyson

Let’s get some shit straight about Neil deGrasse Tyson, lest his playfulness and willingness to engage the general public on issues not limited to his scientific specialties lead anyone to forget his position as one of the finest minds of our time. Tyson, who will present a talk entitled “The Cosmic Perspective” at Tobin this week, has a PhD in astrophysics from Columbia University, has advised congress on issues related to space exploration, continues to be a prolific author (both in his profession and for the public), heads up the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City, and works as a research associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. And, really, that’s a severely abridged version of his impressive resume. With “The Cosmic Perspective,” as the title suggests, Tyson looks to reframe our thinking about a whole host of issues by reminding us of our insignificance in the face of an endless and empty universe. The purpose of this, of course, is manifold, but it includes the hope of changing our perspectives on materialism, capitalism, government, religion, and, most importantly, how we view ourselves and each other.