Starry messenger : cosmic perspectives on civilization

Author

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Call Number

• 901 T994 (CEN, EAS, OSH)

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Edition

First edition.

Publication Information

New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2022.

Physical Description

xiv, 269 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Summary

"Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time--war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race--in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all. In a time when our political and cultural views feel more polarized than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin chariots of enlightenment--a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. After thinking deeply about how science sees the world and about Earth as a planet, the human brain has the capacity to reset and recalibrates life's priorities, shaping the actions we might take in response. No outlook on culture, society, or civilization remains untouched. With crystalline prose, Starry Messenger walks us through the scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From insights on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, an array of brilliant and beautiful truths that apply to us all, informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe."--

Contents

• Overture: Science and society
• Truth & beauty : aesthetics in life and in the cosmos
• Exploration & discovery : the value of both when shaping civilization
• Earth & moon : cosmic perspectives
• Conflict & resolution : tribal forces within us all
• Risk & reward : calculations we make daily with our own lives and the lives of other
• Meatarians & vegetarians : we are not entirely what we eat
• Gender & identity : people are more the same than different
• Color & race : once again, people are more the same than different
• Law & order : the foundation of civilization, whether we like it or not
• Coda: Life & death.