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>>> WELCOME BACK TO "RELIABLE
SOURCES."
WE KNOW WE LIVE IN A POLITICALLY
DIVIDED COUNTRY, WHERE ALMOST
ANYTHING IS FAIR GAME FOR
SNIPERS ON BOTH SIDES.
SCIENCE, SHOULDN'T SCIENCE BE
IMMUNE?
AFTER ALL IT'S CALLED SCIENTIFIC
FACTS FOR A REASON AND YET THERE
ARE MILLIONS OF CLIMATE DENIERS,
EVOLUTION DENIERS, VACCINE
DENIERS.
IN A SPEECH ON CLIMATE CHANGE
PRESIDENT OBAMA SUMMED UP THE
WAR ON SCIENCE THIS WAY.
I DON'T HAVE MUCH PATIENCE FOR
ANYONE WHO DENIES THIS CHALLENGE
IS REAL.
WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR A MEETING
OF THE FLAT EARTH SOCIETY.
>> MANY AMERICANS AGREE WITH
THEM.
MANY OTHER AMERICANS SEE SCIENCE
AS AN ATTACK, ATTACK OB THEIR
VALUES OR RELIGION OR ON WHAT
THEY BELIEVE TO BE TRUE.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT
GUEST, SO EXCITED HE'S HERE.
HE MAY BE THE MAN WHO CAN END
THE WAR ON SCIENCE.
AT LEAST HE'S GOT A BETTER
CHANCE THAN YOU OR I HAVE.
HE'S NEIL DeGRASSE TYSON,
DIRECTOR OF THE HAYDEN
PLANETARIUM IN NEW YORK AND
TONIGHT FOX WILL BE PREMIERING
HIS SERIES "COSMOS."
A PRIME TIME NETWORK TELEVISION
SHOW ABOUT SCIENCE.
PRETTY AMAZING.
NEIL, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> I WANT TO TALK ALL ABOUT "COS
MOS" IN A MOMENT BUT DO YOU
THINK THERE IS A WAR ON SCIENCE
AND HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN
BROKER A PEACE?
>> OUR CIVILIZATION, OUR
CIVILIZATION IS BUILT ON THE
INNOVATIONS OF SCIENTISTS AND
TECHNOLOGISTS AND ENGINEERS WHO
HAVE SHAPED EVERYTHING THAT WE
SO TAKE FOR GRANTED TODAY.
SO SOME OF THE SCIENCE DENIERS
OR HATERS, THESE ARE PEOPLE
TELLING YOU, WHILE THEY'RE ON
THEIR MOBILE PHONE, THEY'RE
SAYING, I DON'T LIKE SCIENCE.
SCIENCE IS -- OH, GPS JUST TOLD
US TO GO LEFT.
YEAH.
OKAY.
SO I DON'T -- SO IT'S TIME FOR
PEOPLE TO SORT OF SIT BACK AND
REASSESS WHAT ROLE SCIENCE HAS
ACTUALLY PLAYED IN OUR LIVES AND
NOTE AND LEARN HOW TO EMBRACE
THAT GOING FORWARD WITHOUT IT WE
WILL JUST REGRESS BACK INTO THE
CAVE.
>> "COSMOS" SEEMS LIKE AN
EXAMPLE OF USING THE MEDIA FOR
GOOD WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENCE.
I TALKED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
AND HOW THERE AREN'T TWO EQUAL
SIDES WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE
CHANGE AND SOMETIMES THE
TELEVISION AND MEDIA PRETENDS IT
IS THAT WAY.
WHAT RESPONSIBILITY DO YOU THINK
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA HAVE TO
PORTRAY SCIENCE CORRECTLY?
>> I THINK THE MEDIA HAS TO SORT
OF COME OUT OF THIS ETHOS THAT I
THINK WAS IN PRINCIPLE A GOOD
ONE, BUT DOESN'T REALLY APPLY IN
SCIENCE.
THE ETHOS WAS, WHATEVER STORY
YOU GIVE, YOU HAVE TO GIVE THE
OPPOSING VIEW, AND THEN YOU CAN
BE VIEWED AS BALANCED.
IN THE CLIP THAT YOU SHOWED OF
THE PRESIDENT, YOU DON'T TALK
ABOUT THE EARTH WITH NASA AND
THEN SAY LET'S GIVE EQUAL TIME
TO THE FLAT EARTHERS.
SCIENCE IS NOT THERE FOR YOU TO
CHERRY PICK.
I SAID THIS ONCE AND IT'S GOTTEN
A LOT OF INTERNET PLAY, I SAID
THE GOOD THING ABOUT SCIENCE IS
THAT IT'S TRUE WHETHER OR NOT
YOU BELIEVE IN IT.
ALL RIGHT.
I GUESS YOU CAN DECIDE WHETHER
OR NOT TO BELIEVE IN IT BUT THAT
DOESN'T CHANGE THE REALITY OF AN
EMERGENT SCIENTIFIC TRUTH.
>> GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU
ON THIS SHOW TRIED TO SHOW THE
TRUTH OF SCIENCE.
>> NO.
I MEAN EVERYTHING IS THE LATEST
SCIENCE TIVG UNDERSTANDING OF
EVERYTHING.
THAT'S JUST A GIVEN.
THE REAL MESSAGES OF THE SHOW,
NOW THAT YOU SEE THE WHAT THE
SCIENCE IS, HOW DOES IT MATTER?
HOW AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO
YOU?
WHAT CONTEXT.
SO THE SCIENCE IS CONTEXT
ALLIZED IF YOU WILL.
ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING VISUALS
IS THE COSMIC CALENDAR WHERE WE
TAKE THE 13.8 BILLION YEAR
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE AND LAY
IT ON TO A FOOTBALL FIELD SIZED
YEAR AT A GLANCE CALENDAR AND
THE VALUE OF THAT IS, WE ALL
KNOW WHAT A CALENDAR IS.
WE KNOW HOW FAR INTO THE YEAR
JUNE OR JULY IS.
IF I SAY THE BIG *** WAS
JANUARY 1st AND IT TODAY IS
DECEMBER 31st WHEN WAS OUR
GALAXY FORMED, THE MILKY WAY,
THAT WAS FORMED MARCH 15th.
>> I LOVE THE SPECIAL EFFECTS
YOU USE.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
>> LET'S GO BACK AS FAR AS WE
CAN TO THE VERY FIRST MOMENT OF
THE UNIVERSE.
JANUARY 1st, THE BIG ***.
WHEN THE ORIGINAL "COSMOS" CAME
ON THE TELEVISION 30 SOME YEARS
AGO WE COULD HAVE ONLY DREAMED
ABOUT GRAPHICS LIKE THIS.
HOW DO YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
TECHNOLOGY TO PRESENT SCIENTIFIC
TRUTHS IN THE WAY THE ORIGINAL
COULDN'T?
>> THAT'S A FLAME PROOF SUIT I
WAS WEARING SO YOU KNOW.
AND THAT IS THE ONLY MOMENT I
DON SUN SGLASS.
IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT FOR
ANYTHING THE BIG *** WOULD BE
IT.
IT'S NOT JUST HOW STUNNING THE
VISUAL EFFECTS ARE, IT'S AT THE
END AND DURING EACH PROGRAM,
THERE'S A THREAD THAT MOVES
THROUGH IT.
AND BY THE END OF THE PROGRAM
THERE'S A TAPESTRY WOVEN AND
THAT TAPESTRY HAS YOU IN THE
CENTER OF IT.
>> WHAT SORT OF PRESSURE DO YOU
FEEL TO MAKE SURE IT'S
ENTERTAINING, MAKE SURE PEOPLE
ACTUALLY TUNE IN FOR SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
>> THE NATURE OF THAT QUESTION
PRESUMES THAT THE REAL SCIENCE
AND REAL ENTERTAINMENT CANNOT BE
THE SAME THING UNLESS ONE
COMPROMISES TO THE OTHER.
>> THAT'S FAIR.
>> THAT -- THE QUESTION PRESUMES
THAT.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT EVERY NIGHT
I LOOK UP AT THE UNIVERSE, I'M
ENTERTAINED.
EVERY TIME I SEE SATURN AND
IMAGINE SURFING ITS RINGS I AM
ENTERTAINED.
EVERY TIME I THINK OF THE
GRUESOME DEATH OF FALLING INTO A
BLACK HOLE BECOMING
SPAGHETTI-FIED I'M ENTERTAINED.
>> I'M ENTERTAINED HEARING YOU
DESCRIBE IT.
I DON'T THINK OF THEM AS WHAT DO
YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP FOR ONE TO
GET THE OTHER.
I THINK IT'S JUST MAYBE THE
STORY, HASN'T BEEN STOLDS THE
RIGHT WAY.
>> DO YOU THINK A PROGRAM LIKE
THIS CAN HEAL THE DIVIDE THAT
EXISTS ABOUT SCIENCE?
>> I THINK WHAT IT WILL DO IS
GIVE PEOPLE THE PROPER
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SCIENCE
IS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY
LIKE SCIENCE.
WE GOT THEM.
AND POWER TO THEM.
THEN THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW
THEY LIKE SCIENCE.
ALL RIGHT.
THEY HAVE A LITTLE FLAME INSIDE
OF THEM OF CURIOSITY WHICH WE'RE
GOING TO FAN THAT FLAME AND IT
WILL RISE UP WITHIN THEM.
THEN ANOTHER CATEGORY OF PEOPLE,
THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEY DON'T
LIKE SCIENCE.
THEY GOT NO FLAME AT ALL.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GO IN THERE
LIGHT IT AND SHOW THEM THE
MAJESTY AND THE BEAUTY AND GLORY
OF SCIENCE AND HOW IT IS COME --
HOW PEOPLE SEARCHERS FOR COSMIC
TRUTHS OVER THE CENTURIES AND
MILLENIA HAVE ARRIVED AT OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PLACE IN
SPACE AND TIME AND THIS IS
GLORIOUS KNOWLEDGE WE SHOULD
CELEBRATE AND NOT SHUN.
>> AND I KNOW I'M ROOTING FOR
YOU.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
ROOTING FOR YOU BECAUSE THEY