February 1st Post

I dont think that the authors ideas would be helpful for day to day life because he is just talking about space and everything in it. He doesn't give any insight on how life would be easier lived from day to day. While what he is saying is interesting, I dont think it is great advice on how to live. However, I agree with what the professor says which the author disagreed with. When I hear or see things about the universe and how big everything really is, it does in fact make me feel very small. People tend to feel small when they hear that stuff because we don't usually think about the universe and how big it really is. It can actually get scary to think about because we don't know what is out there and if there is life and other things. It is for those reasons and more that I agree with the professor when he says people feel small after watching that show. While his ideas are very fascinating and informative, he gives no true advice to people. He is just being very informative in the way that he tells us his ideas about the world/universe and how he thinks people form their ideas. I think its interesting when he refers to mankind as being not too distant from the animal kingdom. I dont necessarily agree with him. while I think that more people should think about nature in that way so that we can care about it and take care of it, I also think that we should separate ourselves because there is a line that shouldn't be crossed. the line I am referring to is the line that shows our humanity.  Humans need control in order to survive. There is a gap that exists between animals an humans and it is that we are able to think for ourselves and form our own opinions.

Nayem's blog, one minute to the deadline and one with the universe

I think that the cosmic perspective can be helpful in day-to-day life if one is ready to accept this truth. For instance, I only began this assignment thirty minutes ago and was thoroughly freaking out. My mind was creating every possible circumstance that could cause me not to finish the blog in time. I had to read the first sentence three times because I was psyching myself out that badly. How left-hemisphered of me. As soon as I got into the meat of the topic, I was glued to my screen and suddenly, my place in this universe disappeared. I was the knowledge I was receiving. Then for a split moment as I scrolled between pages I caught a glimpse of the time and my heart rate sped up and I thought “nope, no way I can do this.” I came right out of this out-of-body experience I was having. Then I remembered what I was reading about: the colossal whole I am apart of, what is apart of me, how minute this problem of mine was. And before I knew it, I was sucked into the words again. In order to be ready to accept and enjoy the cosmic perspective, one must choose to understand it through their right hemisphere. Otherwise, if understood through the left hemisphere, the mighty truth of the universe would crush their ego, possibly diminishing their self worth, and understanding of life. I had such a thought cross my mind as I read. I thought to myself “I am only looking at the surface of this humungous concept from a telescope thousands of miles away. I could not ever grasp this. I do not have the capacity. I wonder, then, what job I could get that could just keep me happy and fed and naive,” immediately followed by “why am I even thinking about myself? Keep reading.” The difference between both of the perspectives I had whilst reading this article is that I decided I was ready for the information. I decided it was my truth, our truth. I cannot deny or change it. I can only live in my right hemisphere, with the understanding that we are one. I am no more and no less.

Tiny But Mighty

The author of “Cosmic Perspective” has a very unique outlook on the world and the far reaches of the universe. He believes that mankind is apart of something far bigger and greater than ourselves, similar to how bacteria is a significant part of our world. Our world is made up of trillions upon trillions of bacteria, for example “more bacteria live and work in one centimeter of my colon than the number of people who have ever existed in the world” (1072,Tyson). We can see from this example that even the smallest of particles not only have a huge role in our existence, but also connect us to one another. Tyson brought up the point that we has humans think about the values of life and the mysterious unknown, at least once a week if not once a day. I agree with his ideas about mankind being similar to bacteria in the sense that mankind is small part of something bigger and greater than ourselves, and his point that beliefs, thoughts, and values are what connect us as people and keep us connected to the people around us. Tyson’s essay showed me a new perspective about many things, including mankind’s purpose of life and the importance of exploring the unknown.

Beyond the world

After reading The Cosmic Perspective by Neil Degrasse Tyson, I felt tiny, due to the fact that there is so much more around the world than we know. Not just people in the world, but even beyond that. I know first hand, sometimes... maybe all of the time, I can feel as if the world is circling around me, but I remind myself that I'm one person in a world that consists of seven billion people. I understand Tyson is trying to express his thoughts on evolution and how humans can often forget about the process of life and how science works. It really opened my eyes when he brought up chimpanzees and how our brains own so much more knowledge than their species does. I mean, just think about if another species did exist that was much more intelligent then humans, how would we feel? How would life be? Although this is not the case, it is still something to open your mind about and it gives us a sense of imagination and curiosity as to what life would actually be like. He made some key points when he also added how humans don't help our cause when it comes to taking care of the world we live in and the world that will be home to our future relatives down the road. Getting knowledge over these things really can make us better people, because it opens our eyes on issues we usually don't think about on a daily basis.

Feb 1st Blog

Although Neil DeGrasse Tyson is very knowledgeable about astronomy and all the things that go into it, I do not think that his ideas are helpful for day-to-day life.  In his essay, “Cosmic Perspective” Tyson explains to his readers how he personally feels about cosmic views. Tyson believes that “powerful people rarely do all they can to help those who cannot help themselves.” I personally, do not think this is true. Granted, there are many powerful people who do abuse their power, but there are also many more powerful people that use their power for good, and use their power to help the less fortunate people in this world. Tyson also writes in a tone that seems like he is dominant above everyone and he is the only one that is right about this certain field of study. I say this because when he talks about the psychology professor from an Ivy League school, he begins to doubt his expertise and go on to say “it’s the professor, not I, who has misread nature”. This quote helps support my claim because he is basically saying he does not believe his beliefs about space and astronomy could be even one percent wrong.

If you were to look at Noah Charney’s article “This is Your Brain on Art” and Tyson’s essay, “Cosmic Perspective” you would be able to see that their views on this world are very different. This is because Charney offers a more artistic way to look at life and think “outside of the box”. Meanwhile, Taylor looks at the earth and sees that we are not unique, and we are just merely “another planet orbiting the sun”. I think Charney would argue that Earth is a unique place in this universe and there are many things about Earth that make it diverse from every other planet, which is what makes Earth so beautiful.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson's idea of Cosmic Perception in a nutshell explains that contemplating the universe should not make thinkers feel small and insignificant, but rather large and enlightened. He argues that we are "large" enough to be able to grasp the concept of the universe and deeply ponder our purpose, and this is an accomplishment. "The cosmic perspective enables us to see beyond our circumstances, allowing us to transcend the primal search for food, shelter, and sex." (Tyson, 8). It is important to consider these ideas in everyday life in order to see the larger picture of why we exist. This is the kind of thinking that lifts the boundaries between deeply rooted issues such as racism and sexism. Taking a step back and considering our accomplishments and what we can further strive toward can without a doubt make you look at the people around you and feel a deep sense of appreciation for one another. This kind of thinking can also alleviate stress or even sadness in the sense that taking a step outside of your own personal issues and thinking bigger can make trivial issues seem like nonsense. Tyson says "The cosmic perspective reminds us that in space, there is no air, a flag will not wave - an indication that perhaps flag waving and space exploration do not mix," (Tyson, 8). This statements pokes at the sense of ownership that humans feel over accomplishing something before others. When reading that line, I imagined kids screaming "ME ME ME" over each other trying to get the teacher to pick on them to answer the math problem in class. These children don't have the concept of learning and growing together, and rather feel they should compete in a battle of ego's over who may be smarter, or who thinks faster. Everyone wants to win. Cosmic Perspective neglects this idea and says lets empower each other and grow as a community of scholars. This may be a dramatic example, but in essence this is what Tyson was trying to convey in his essay, and I agree that the Cosmic Perspective could be beneficial to anyone willing to think.

My take on the "Cosmic Perspective"

I believe that the information provided in Neil Degrasse Tyson's "Cosmic Perspective", is helpful in day-to-day life. His main idea presented is how insignificant we are compared to the rest of the universe and what goes on in unexplored space. In one part of the text Tyson says, "I forgot that too many people act in wanton disregard for the delicate interplay of earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land, with consequences that our children and our children's children will witness and pay for with their health and well-being". I believe that he's saying that if powerful people around the world could get over themselves and take a look at the state the world is in and going towards and tried to help we could make a big difference in things like global warming. If people could all learn to think as one and deal with the same problems, we potentially solve all of our problems that we have or arise. I believe that Tyson's ideas are similar to Jill Bolte Taylor's Ted Ex talk. It's similar in the way that when Jill Bolte Taylor described what she experienced when she lost the left side of her brain. It enlightened her as she experienced something that maybe not even one percent of people on earth get to and fully recover from it. She realized that there's more to us not just what we can perceive. It's similar in a way to Neil Degrasse Tyson's article in that we are but a spec of the universe, there's more to everything than we will probably ever know. But as one of the smartest people on the planet, link here http://superscholar.org/smartest-people-alive/ , I think we can leave that job to him.