Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
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- Create Date：2022-11-25 09:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Neil deGrasse Tyson
- ISBN：1250880947
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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。
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。
Reviews
Ifrah Akhtar
，
I’ve been looking forward to this book and it exceeded expectations。 Neil deGrasse Tyson explores challenges facing humanity today from a cosmic perspective。 The book is funny， insightful， and a powerful reminder that our wonder and commonality transcend all conflicts/divisions we choose to make。
Matthew Wentworth
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Neil deGrasse Tyson mentions in the beginning of "Starry Messenger" that， even if space travel doesn't lead to any major societal developments （which is unlikely）， it will at least force us to adjust our perspective of our world， which is exactly what he does in every chapter on this book: forces the reader to challenge their own assumptions and biases。 The breadth of topics discussed is impressive and every one has something really meaningful to add to the overall discussion on how to make our Neil deGrasse Tyson mentions in the beginning of "Starry Messenger" that， even if space travel doesn't lead to any major societal developments （which is unlikely）， it will at least force us to adjust our perspective of our world， which is exactly what he does in every chapter on this book: forces the reader to challenge their own assumptions and biases。 The breadth of topics discussed is impressive and every one has something really meaningful to add to the overall discussion on how to make our world a more caring， openminded place。 。。。more
Erin Vanessa
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This one is hard for me to review。 I'm not the target audience for this， necessarily， and I didn't learn much。 He's pretty much preaching to the choir for me。 So my enjoyment was maybe a 2。5， but the info is useful。 This one is hard for me to review。 I'm not the target audience for this， necessarily， and I didn't learn much。 He's pretty much preaching to the choir for me。 So my enjoyment was maybe a 2。5， but the info is useful。 。。。more
Ben Rogers
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Aim For The StarsI enjoyed thisI found it quite interesting。 I， though， found it was more of a prove vs disprove book rather than a full-on science book。That being said， it was still a fun， quick read。 3。9/5
Cassondra Windwalker
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I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway （much to my delight。）This book falls somewhere between pop science and pop philosophy， a highly readable mix that manages to be both accessible and deeply thought-provoking。
David
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I'm pretty sure this was the 4th book I've read by Neil deGrasse Tyson， and I'm very sure that it's my favorite！ From race， to gender， law and order， and quite a range of topics， Dr。 Tyson brings his observations based on what science and data tell us about each。 It sounds like cerebral approach to hotbed issues， but it all leads to an encouragement of curiosity， tolerance， empathy， and gratitude。 I really loved this one！ I'm pretty sure this was the 4th book I've read by Neil deGrasse Tyson， and I'm very sure that it's my favorite！ From race， to gender， law and order， and quite a range of topics， Dr。 Tyson brings his observations based on what science and data tell us about each。 It sounds like cerebral approach to hotbed issues， but it all leads to an encouragement of curiosity， tolerance， empathy， and gratitude。 I really loved this one！ 。。。more
Carol Kearns
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I really enjoyed listening to this book read by the author！ It has many excellent ideas and perspectives that I will be thinking about for quite a while。
Roemer
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A fab audiobook read by the author。 This book is packed with truths （some uncomfortable） based in science and fact and questions why human emotion and bias is placed into so many aspects of our lives。 I highly recommend to anyone who is looking to hear a different perspective than the typical human narratives we are used to。
Nikki Wanamaker
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Thought provoking and funny。 I enjoy the authors insights
Mary Keen
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I totally enjoyed listening （and relistening to parts） a few days ago， but unfortunately， i can't remember anything special。 I hope to spend time with a printed version and try to get parts into my memory。NDT is always entertaining and does a great job of narrating。 I was surprised but didn't mind that he veered off the space topic during much of the 2nd part of the book。Audio @ 1。10 speed I totally enjoyed listening （and relistening to parts） a few days ago， but unfortunately， i can't remember anything special。 I hope to spend time with a printed version and try to get parts into my memory。NDT is always entertaining and does a great job of narrating。 I was surprised but didn't mind that he veered off the space topic during much of the 2nd part of the book。Audio @ 1。10 speed 。。。more
kevin browning
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Neil de Grasse Tyson's book challenges readers to think about societal issues on a cosmic scale。 Instead of using generalizations， personal biases， and opinions disguised as truths as a vehicle to guide our lives， he proposes we use the scientific method as a tool for everyday life from politics to law and order。 He covers a range of topics from race， beauty， truth， law， and even the body and mind。 If we can just take a moment and look up， and realize we inhabit the same planet as homo sapiens w Neil de Grasse Tyson's book challenges readers to think about societal issues on a cosmic scale。 Instead of using generalizations， personal biases， and opinions disguised as truths as a vehicle to guide our lives， he proposes we use the scientific method as a tool for everyday life from politics to law and order。 He covers a range of topics from race， beauty， truth， law， and even the body and mind。 If we can just take a moment and look up， and realize we inhabit the same planet as homo sapiens who aren't that different， then maybe we can create a world where we could nurture everyone's potential。 Unfortunately， the book has some flaws。 In one of the chapters， he argued the Apollo mission fueled the environmental movement when the photos from space were published。 Actually， the environmental movement and environmental consciousness goes further back in the US all the way to the birth of John Muir and the conservationist movement。 Second， in the chapter on body and mind， he made several generalizations on education。 His views come from a lack of knowledge regarding how the education system works and how states have continuously taken control from teachers。 Teachers are always under attack for societal ills and it looks like even the rational Neil de Grasse Tyson is not immune from personal biases and and opinions based on generalizations and assumptions。 Last， he criticizes headlines disguised as truths， yet， doesn't his tweets do the same thing？ It's ok。 I still love Neil！ Worth a Read！ 。。。more
Faith
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Scattered and shallow analysis。
Luffy
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I wonder what motive will it take for Neil deGrasse Tyson to motivate him to write a really thick book about the most interesting things he has seen， studied， and analysed in his life。 Maybe he has such a project in mind。 Let's give him the benefit of the doubt， shall we？ If his magnum opus will be mind blowing， supposedly， then Starry Messenger is a scant offering that casts shadows over how people more dumb， more cruel， more narcissistic， than Tyson can write books that outstrip his 20 or so b I wonder what motive will it take for Neil deGrasse Tyson to motivate him to write a really thick book about the most interesting things he has seen， studied， and analysed in his life。 Maybe he has such a project in mind。 Let's give him the benefit of the doubt， shall we？ If his magnum opus will be mind blowing， supposedly， then Starry Messenger is a scant offering that casts shadows over how people more dumb， more cruel， more narcissistic， than Tyson can write books that outstrip his 20 or so books， regularly。I mean， is this all？ Are the musings of a gifted mind this stuffy？ Is there a shallow end to the depth of Tyson's mind？ Or， as I have hazarded in the opening paragraph， is it only the tip of the iceberg？ I am left totally unimpressed by this book that will at most enrapture kids and teens。 I am left scratching my chin， wondering who is the target audience of this book。 And by the way， I refuse to believe the astrophysicist's words in the Acknowledgements section。 a） I refuse to believe that this is a work that took a lot of energy to write and b） that it needed the collaboration of a team of well meaning and hard working sympathisers and colleagues for it （this book） to see the light of the day。The best thing that can be said about this book is that its data is very fresh。 The stats don't lie until they do， or until they are updated and their numbers and data， superseded。 This book was edited as 'recently' as April 2022。 I appreciated some of the answers to my inquisitiveness。 Beyond that， there is not a lot of positive stuff to be said about Starry Messenger。The moral laziness of this book is what is salient。 E。g。 when Tyson is pro-'let's remove the offending southern based statues'。 For someone who is capable of so much more scientific thought than I， his lack of justification for upending Confederate statues is bewildering。 It is so bewildering that I began to think that Tyson is either lazy， or dishonest， or takes pleasure in bamboozling his audience with Sokal-like demonstrations。 I am not an inhabitant of Republican states， let alone anywhere in the Western hemisphere。 Yet I do call out the nonsense rhetoric in Starry Messenger's pages。 In a fetid desire to pay back lip service to his right leaning chums， Tyson went to contortionist lengths。 This is not more apparent than when he tries to confuse the differences between Democrats and the GOP。 While I agree that racists abound in blue states， red ones really take the cake in intellectual dishonesty and fearmongering。 Tyson stops when it is politically convenient to do so。 When analysing divorces and cheating， he did not go the whole hog。 He ought to have briefed his audience on single mothers， tax evasions， perjuries etc。 He is loyal to George W。 Bush， who is an even bigger military chieftain than the drone-using Obama。Someone please tell Tyson that eating plants is not even close to eating meat。 Plants are without brains and a nervous system。 This simple fact was surreptitiously ignored， leaving a gaping hole in the scientist's efforts to pardon the sins of the meat eaters。 Perhaps Tyson is playing a political game now that his limits have reached in terms of his presence， his appeal， and his influence。 I fully expect Tyson to keep churning out diplomatic mushy books like Starry Messenger for the rest of his life。Apart from the above， I was just， underwhelmed by what was in the book。 I wanted to know more about who got predicting the 'future' right， any time in history。 I wanted to know about the percolating experiments that are， soon， to translate to concrete and wonderful inventions。 I wanted Tyson to tell us the geopolitical and historical underpinnings of why Africa is often poor。 Tell us why all the oil operations in Africa are privately owned， while Norway's oil industry is nationalised。 Can you do that， Tyson？All of the facts that can ruffle the mighty further are left half hanging， e。g。 the many complex moral issues of abortion in the US。 This book could have been written by a YouTuber like Rationality Rules， and I would not have known the difference。 Where is the communication of the wonders of life， which Tyson touched on only in his epilogue？ Where is the dissecting， the analysing， the invoking， of extensive biological and chemical， and even physical realms？To summarise， I have benefited but little through reading this book。 Yet its sales not exceeding A Brief History of Time （among other science books） comes as no surprise。 Tyson is preaching to the converted。 His colleagues would not gasp with realisation on reading his book， which is unfortunate。 Tyson did not try to reach the college students， the housewives， the crowd reading nothing but romance。 Not that there is anything wrong with that。 I expected knowledge from this book。 Maybe that is my problem。 I expected something that would not crop up in Tyson's podcasts。 Maybe that was asking for the moon。 The only active change in me is that the book increased my desire to learn Latin。 It's just slightly worrying that Tyson will probably - judging from his current trajectory - pass on receiving the torch when the likes of Richard Dawkins fade in time。 。。。more
Denise Levine
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Overwhelmed with data， but that's the point！ He is a dynamic presenter and the book is a reminder to untangle feeling from fact。 Multiple examples of how easy it can be to become entrenched in what we think we believe and what we want to believe。 Although facts may change with ongoing research and evidence， let's stay open-minded。 Overwhelmed with data， but that's the point！ He is a dynamic presenter and the book is a reminder to untangle feeling from fact。 Multiple examples of how easy it can be to become entrenched in what we think we believe and what we want to believe。 Although facts may change with ongoing research and evidence， let's stay open-minded。 。。。more
Ryan Boissonneault
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If this book accomplishes anything， it will make you long for the day when scientists become politicians， or at least that politicians become scientifically literate。 Yes， I’m aware that adopting a rational， scientific approach to problems will not eliminate political controversy， but the debate around these heated political issues stands in need of a desperate infusion of more objective， rigorous thinking。 Or do we still want a reality TV star who couldn't pass a middle-school science quiz fram If this book accomplishes anything， it will make you long for the day when scientists become politicians， or at least that politicians become scientifically literate。 Yes， I’m aware that adopting a rational， scientific approach to problems will not eliminate political controversy， but the debate around these heated political issues stands in need of a desperate infusion of more objective， rigorous thinking。 Or do we still want a reality TV star who couldn't pass a middle-school science quiz framing the agenda？This idea that scientists are politically naive—as if our current politicians are having sophisticated debates on policy issues—is laughable。 Of course， there’s nothing special about a scientist。 They’re only human like the rest of us。 But there is something special about science itself， which is the best method humanity has yet devised to discover truths about how the world works and our place within it。 Might we then want to draw some inspiration from it when debating key political， economic， and social issues？This book will show you what that alternate， saner reality might look like。 By adopting a “cosmic perspective”—by viewing Earth from afar and without the artificial borders and boundaries we tend to impose on everyone and everything—we can gain some clarity surrounding issues relating to religion， race， gender， tribalism， polarization， and equality。 The idea of aliens visiting Earth and noting how trivially divisive we are is a recurrent theme throughout the book。 I’ve always admired Tyson’s perspective on these topics。 In a particularly entertaining chapter， he shows us how easy it is to be racist by cherry-picking traits in white people that more closely resemble， compared to black people， the traits of chimpanzees。 Of course， this is all absurd， but that’s exactly the point; there is so much individual variation among a plethora of traits that it never makes sense to judge any single individual by group averages。 The only thing that this will ever accomplish is the suppression of intelligence and potential。 Here’s how Tyson puts it:“When I imagine what I’m capable of， I don’t reference the professions of ancestors reported to me in a genealogy kit。 Instead， I look to all humans who have ever lived。 We are one family。 We are one race。 The human race。 Although I rather think we’re all just next of kin。”A few paragraphs later， Tyson continues:“Do we recognize， highlight， and embrace diversity？ Or do we aspire not to notice it at all？ Imagine if race， gender expression， and ethnicity were as irrelevant to our judgment of people as whether they wear glasses， what brand of toothpaste they use， or whether they prefer waffles over pancakes。”This perspective， the cosmic perspective， is that to which we should all aspire。 Of course there will always be disagreements—would we want it any other way in a functioning democracy—but the degree to which we can frame our opinions based on facts and reason rather than emotion and bias is the degree to which we can build a better， more peaceful， more tolerant， and more equal society。 The ultimate message of the book is this: Regardless of race， gender， religion， or socioeconomic status， when viewed from a cosmic perspective， we’re all essentially indistinguishable， part of a single race—the human race。 Additionally， we’ve all been endowed with reason to discover this fact， and to cast aside the anti-intellectual bigotry that seeks to keep us divided。 。。。more
Katherine Reece
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This is a wonderful book。 The title says it all。 If you have ever heard Neil deGrasse Tyson speak， this book has his voice。 You can actually hear him in your head as you read！ He is a fountain of information。 He explains everything in his enthusiastic， upbeat， informative， humorous way， with references noted。 Do yourself a favor: read this book！ You will know more than you did before， and you will feel much more optimistic about our future， as a species。
Alicia
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deGrasse Tyson is the coolest。 I'm happy that he read the audio but I know he would be the only one cut out for the job and wouldn't want it any other way。 He's a personality。 He's also human。 But he's a scientist and that matters when it comes to his perspective on the world-- a world about tested， science as evidenced by the world he would like to create built on one solid sentence about everything being tested and verified。 He works in the creativity with the story because he uses his oft-dis deGrasse Tyson is the coolest。 I'm happy that he read the audio but I know he would be the only one cut out for the job and wouldn't want it any other way。 He's a personality。 He's also human。 But he's a scientist and that matters when it comes to his perspective on the world-- a world about tested， science as evidenced by the world he would like to create built on one solid sentence about everything being tested and verified。 He works in the creativity with the story because he uses his oft-discussed tweets as part of his storytelling- specifically the ones that go awry because people take issue with his non-emotional views and hard facts such as when he mentions the number of deaths on 9/11 or the pandemic。 His approach is always to educate and thoughtfully engage in dialogue which is what we need more of。 Yes， there will always be emotion， but there also needs to be facts and statistics。 He covers a range of topics but moves through them fluidly and adeptly that it's never overreaching in all that he wants to share or vitriolic。 It's his view based on his years of work-- the perspective on civilization that he brings as an astrophysicist and member of the human race。 I wouldn't want it any other way than to listen to deGrasse Tyson read it。 。。。more
Rachel
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I loved listening to this book！ He is one of my favorite people， always challenging my thoughts and feelings。
Ed Billowitz
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Shows how many problems can be approached if we separate fact from feeling
Cyndi Bussey
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Wonderful book， I love his philosophy！ I actually listened to his reading of it on audible， which I think made it even better。
Sue Myers
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A most explanatory treatise on using the scientific method in our lives to debunk truth deniers， our own biases， perspective in the world and ideas of how others might see the human race。 Should be required reading for everyone！
Martha Steele
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Very thought provoking， as expected but true perfection when listening to him read the audio book！
Lee Barry
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Reads as if it was derived from StarTalk podcast transcripts--and perhaps it might have been。 I recognize some of the sections as being show topics。 If you've been a listener of the podcast you've probably already read this。 Reads as if it was derived from StarTalk podcast transcripts--and perhaps it might have been。 I recognize some of the sections as being show topics。 If you've been a listener of the podcast you've probably already read this。 。。。more
lunar
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"if death gives meaning to life， then to live forever is to live a life with no meaning at all。"lots of very insightful things in this book！ "if death gives meaning to life， then to live forever is to live a life with no meaning at all。"lots of very insightful things in this book！ 。。。more
Michael Bogin
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Very enjoyable read。 Really a tribute to critical thinking。 Love a book that makes you go "hmmm， never looked at it that way" Very enjoyable read。 Really a tribute to critical thinking。 Love a book that makes you go "hmmm， never looked at it that way" 。。。more
grease monkey
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Although Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of my intellectual heroes I cannot give this book more than 3 stars。It reads like an odd mixture of ressentiment， wokeness and rationality。At points it also feels disingenuous。 E。g。 although he disapproves debate clubs I could point to quite a few rhetorical shleights of hand。Sorry Neil but IMHO you can not be a citizen of Rationalia and woke at the same time。
Miriam
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Neil deGrasse Tyson reads his 10 essays， essays that range from the stars to earth， from history to race relations and everything in between。It’s a hopeful book， filled with star-filled descriptions that draw you into Neil deGrasse Tyson‘s orbit and hold you there until each finishes。 Read or listen to each essay separately or in one big gulp。 You’ll find you savor the experience。For a review of the stellar performance， see AudioFile Magazine http://www。audiofilemagazine。com Neil deGrasse Tyson reads his 10 essays， essays that range from the stars to earth， from history to race relations and everything in between。It’s a hopeful book， filled with star-filled descriptions that draw you into Neil deGrasse Tyson‘s orbit and hold you there until each finishes。 Read or listen to each essay separately or in one big gulp。 You’ll find you savor the experience。For a review of the stellar performance， see AudioFile Magazine http://www。audiofilemagazine。com 。。。more
Maggie
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I’m a sack of chemicals。 A warm anaerobic vessel of fecal matter。 Chapter 9 - enjoyed the jury duty selection anecdotes… and “flowers that live forever miss the point。”
Vicki
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I enjoyed this， learned some stuff， and picked up several nice quotes to foist upon my Facebook friends。 The combination of viewing Earth from above （mentally， at least） and applying the scientific method to make evidence-based decisions is a goal worth striving towards。
Anni
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