5 Neil deGrasse Tyson Quotes on 'Cosmos' That Get The Side-Eye

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a world-renowned astrophysicist who has won the admiration of the scientific community, and laymen alike, with his inviting and sometimes entertaining personality. People of all ages and ethnic backgrounds are taking interest in learning because Tyson has introduced science into pop culture. On March 9, 2014, Tyson extended his knowledge to television audiences by hosting the first episode of "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey", which is produced by Seth McFarlane (creator of "Family Guy," "The Cleveland Show" and "American Dad") and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The concept of the show is a follow-up to the "Cosmos: A Personal Journey," produced by Tyson's mentor and friend, the late Carl Sagan. Tyson is making history with every word he writes and speaks. However, he falls short when it comes to delivering historical information on his series. The narrative driving "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" is presented from a Western, Euro-centric perspective. Some statements made on the show are historically inaccurate. Other statements clearly place importance on European contributions to science while excluding discoveries made by other cultures. Racial and cultural inclusion within science history would make the information he provides on "Cosmos" accurate and empowering to all. The Ancient Egyptians Studied The Stars 5000 Years Before Europeans Tyson tells the audience that the cosmic perspective is a relatively modern phenomena. He says, "This cosmic perspective is relatively new, a mere 4 centuries ago our tiny world was oblivious to the cosmos, there were no telescopes the universe was only what you can see with the naked eye." This statement is not correct. Not only did the Ancient Egyptians have a grasp on the cosmic perspective more than 5,000 years before European scientists, but astronomy was an integral part of Ancient Egyptian society. Astronomers and architects worked together to construct temples, pyramids and monuments in alignment with cardinal points within the stars. For instance, the Great Pyramids have air shafts facing south that point to the star Sirius, marking the start of the Egyptian year. Orion, which represents death and rebirth, is also a focal point. The Mysteries of Nature Were Decoded Before Modern Astronomy Tyson attempts to put the age of the universe into perspective by using one Earth calendar year. He draws parallels between the last 40,000 years of human history and the last 60 seconds of the last hour on the last day of the calendar year. He then says, "Moses was born 7 seconds ago. Buddha, 6 seconds ago. Jesus, 5 seconds ago. Mohammed, 4 seconds ago. It was not even 2 seconds ago that, for better or worse, the two halves of the earth discovered each other. It was only in the last second we used science to unlock and reveal nature and her laws." Their discoveries occurred before the birth of Moses. The Stone Circles found in Nabta Playa serve as physical evidence of a 365- day calendar created by Egyptian astronomers. These early scientists were well-versed in observing stellar events such as the conjunctions, phases and risings of the Sun, Moon and planets. Using science to understand nature even predates the modern religions that presently object to its findings. Ancient Egyptians incorporated what we now call science into almost every facet of their civilization. For instance, astronomy was instrumental in mapping time to understand cyclical changes in nature and improve agricultural planning. The Stone Circle found in Nabta Playa was originally created to assist farmers by predicting Nile river flooding. Ancient civilizations in China and India used astronomy to predict climate and seasonal changes as well. Did Our Ancestors Survive The Ice Age? Tyson says, "Our ancestors lived in the endless winter of the last ice age. Fear of bears, wolves, mountain lion competed for prey and grain." Not all of our ancestors lived in the endless winter of the last Ice Age. Neanderthals were the predominant group to endure the harsh elements of the Ice Age that heavily affected Europe. Neanderthal genes are not found in African people. A wealth of scientific discoveries were discovered during African antiquity, yet the importance of African ancestry goes unmentioned. In this instance, the "Cosmos" narrative reinforces the importance of European contributions to science by misplacement of historical context and its relevance to people of color today. Other Cultures Knew That the Earth Orbited the Sun Thousands of Years Before Copernicus "Every human being on the planet thought the earth was the center of the universe up until Copernicus," Tyson begins. "He was supposedly the first to think the earth revolved around the sun." Both Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Indian societies were already knowledgeable of the planets' rotation around the sun, and incorporated this information into everything from spirituality to agriculture. The Greeks also were aware that the sun was the center of the galaxy. As a matter of fact, the word "Heliocentrism" which literally means "sun center," is of Greek origin. Dogs' Ancestors Get More Recognition for Scientific Contributions Than African Ancestors. "This wolf discovered what a branch of his ancestors figured out some 15,000 years ago. An excellent survival strategy: the domestication of the humans. Let the humans do the hunting. Don't threaten them. They'll let you scavenge their garbage," Tyson explains. "You'll eat more regularly, you'll leave more offspring and those offspring will inherit your disposition. This selection for tameness will be reinforced with each generation until that of line of wild wolf evolved into dogs." While this statement may not be untrue, this particular segment about the selective breeding relationship between early European man and wolves went far more in depth than any correlation between science and other cultures. While seemingly harmless, this could be viewed as an underlying suggestion of where value is placed in Western society. As it stands, the only mention of African people in the series is when Tyson says,"Africans would look up into the sky and see destruction and war." Sources: http://www.astronomytrek.com https://explorable.com/egyptian-astronomy https://explorable.com/egyptian-astronomy http://www.chinapage.com/astronomy/syho.html http://annesastronomynews.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_astronomy

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