Neil deGrasse Tyson Uses Aliens To Make Points About Our Human Perspective

Esteban: Okay. THEY ARE OBSERVING THE SAME THING, RIGHT? THE SAME, BUT IT'S BETTER WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE. Stephen: WE'RE BACK HERE WITH THE AUTHOR OF "STARRY MESSENGER: COSMIC PERSPECTIVES ON CIVILIZATION." NEIL deGRASSE TYSON. I WANT THE COSMIC PERSPECTIVE. NOT ALL OF US CAN GO TO SPACE. CAN I GET IT SITTING IN TRAFFIC? NO,NO. Stephen: HOW DO YOU GET IT, NEIL, OTHER THAN PURCHASING "STARRY MESSENGER, THE COSMIC PERSPECTIVE"? I'LL PUT YOU AT THE TOP OF THE LIST. I WILL PUT ALL THE LEADERS IN THE WORLD TO WAR. GET ELON TO BUILD A SPACE BUS. IT SOUNDS STRANGE, BUT IT ALREADY EXISTS AS AN AIR BUS COMPANY.

IT'S NOT A ROMANTIC TERM, BUT LET'S MOVE ON. SPACE BUS. ELON, BUILD US A SPACE BUS. FLY ALL WARNING UN FACTIONS INTO SP SPACE MAKE THEM LOOK DOWN TO THE EARTH AND ALL NATIONAL BORDERS DISSOLVE. (APPLAUSE) FRAGILE WE ARE HERE ON EARTH AND WHAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT. BY THE WAY, ALL OF OUR ARGUMENTS, THINGS YOU WERE DEEPLY RESEARCHED INTO AND THINK YOU HAVE THOUGHT EVERYTHING INTO, WILL OFTEN FALL APART. RATIONAL ANALYSIS WITH FLAVOR OF A COSMIC PERSPECTIVE. A QUICK EXAMPLE. WILL BE FAST. Stephen: I HOPE YOU DO. Okay, okay. Stephen: AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE FAST.

THE MORE YOU TALK, THE LESS YOU WORK. GOOD. NO, THERE ARE THOUGHTS WE HAVE. FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY YOU ARE A VEGETARIAN. THERE IS A CHAPTER CALLED "MEAT EATERS AND VEGETARIANS". YES, I WENT THERE. PEOPLE SAY: "I DON'T WANT TO KILL ANIMALS." I DO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THAT. THEY PROBABLY HAVE A HUMAN MOUSE TRAP IN THEIR BASEMENT. THEY DON'T WANT TO BREAK THE MOUSE'S NECK. SO THEY CAPTURE THE MOUSE. YOU HAVE TO CHECK IT EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS BECAUSE THEY DRY VERY FAST. THAT'S RIGHT, AND THEY LET HIM LOOSE IN THE WILD, WHERE THEY HAVE GUARANTEED THAT HE WILL BE SWALLOWED WHOLE AND DISASSEMBLED BY FOREST PREDATORS.

THE AVERAGE LIFE LIFE OF A MOUSE IN THE WILD IS NINE TO 18 MONTHS. THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR A MOUSE IS LEAVE IT IN YOUR BASEMENT. HE WILL LIVE UP TO SIX YEARS THERE. THIS IS HOW LIFE IS PROTECTED. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY ARE DOING. WHILE THE HOUSE IS MADE OF 50 TREE WOOD WITH FLOOR BOARDS AND 2 BY 4'S AND STRUCTURAL MEMBERS. AND THE TREES? EACH TREE, EVERY DAY, PRODUCES 15 TIMES THE MASS OF THE MOUSE IN OXYGEN. AND THE TREE IS HOME TO BIRDS AND INSECTS AND FUNGI AND SQUIRRELS. WHO DO YOU THINK CARES THE MOST ABOUT NATURE?

YOUR MOUSE OR THE TREE? AND YOU'LL SAY, "WELL, THE MOUSE HAS A BEATING HEART. THE TREE DOESN'T." PERHAPS THE TREE DOESN'T NEED A BEATING HEART. IS THAT YOUR CRITERION FOR WHAT IS IMPORTANT? IF YOU CUT A TREE, DOES IT NOT BLEED? IF YOU COVER A TREE, WON'T IT SUFFOCATE? IF YOU CUT ITS NUTRIENTS, DOES IT NOT ADVANCE AND DIE? AND SOME OF THE TREES LIVE 1,000 YEARS. THE GIANT SEWOOD IN THE GIANT NORTHWEST. YOU'RE ABOUT TO CUT THEM OFF, BUILD YOUR HOUSE AND SAVE A chubby MOUSE. Stephen: WOW (APPLAUSE). Stephen: WHAT I'M HEARING... I WANT TO HEAR ONE MORE, BUT WHAT I'M HEARING IS SAVE THEM ALL OR SAVE NOTHING.

I CAN NOT SAY IT. I'M NOT HERE TO GIVE YOU YOUR OPINION, I'M HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY OPINION YOU HAVE IS MORE INFORMED THAN WHEN YOU STARTED. Stephen: YOUR OTHER EXAMPLE, PLEASE. ANOTHER QUICK EXAMPLE. Stephen: AGAIN, ALL OF THIS CAN BE FOUND IN "STARRY MESSENGER", NEIL deGRASSE TYSON. WHAT'S NEXT BEST AFTER GOING TO SPACE IF YOU READ THIS BOOK. So I often feature

aliens

, because they have no preconceived notions of who or what we are and we have an idea of ​​what they might say. Stephen: THEORETICAL ALIEN YES, THEORETICAL ALIENS. I CANNOT DISCLOSE... IMAGINE PHOTO SYNTHESIZING CENTIEN ALIENS.

THEY'RE IN A SPACESHIP AND THEY SAW THE EARTH, THEY HAVE A GOOD BIODIVERSITY OF PLANT AND IT'S IN THEIR VISITOR'S BOOK, THEY HAVE FORESTS AND THINGS. THEY COME TO VISIT. THEN MEET VEGETARIANS WHO EXPRESSLY EAT PLANTS. AND THEY WILL LOVE IT. AND THEY ARE NOT JUST PLANTS. THEY NOTE THAT VEGETARIANS ATTENTION TO THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF THE PLANTS: THE FLOWERS, THE BERRIES, THE NUTS, ALL THE THINGS. THE PLANT IS JUST TRYING TO MAKE ANOTHER VERSION OF ITSELF. NO, LET'S EAT IT! In fact, I had zucchini flowers for dinner last night, okay. IS THE ZUCCHINI TRYING TO MAKE ANOTHER ZUCCHINI?

BUT NO, I ATE IT. BUT IMAGINE, WAIT, IMAGINE FOREIGNERS, THEY COME TO SEE WHOLE FOODS AND THEY SEE PEOPLE SHOPPING IN THE PRODUCT AISLE. AND THEY REALIZE THAT THESE SAME VEGETARIANS ARE IN THE INFANTICIDE BECAUSE THEY ARE SELECTING ROTTEN BABY CARDS, BABY SPINACH, BABY ARTICHOKES, BABY ARUGULA. BABY EVERYTHING. AND THESE ALIENS SAY, "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE ON EARTH? WHAT?" AND CURRENTS COME BACK. Stephen: AND THEY ATTACK US? AND THEY ATTACK GLUS. IS THAT WHERE THIS FILM IS GOING, THEY WILL EVENTUALLY ATTACK US? OFFERS COSMIC PERSPECTIVES. IT'S ANOTHER WAY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO.

YOU MAY FEEL STRONGER ABOUT WHAT YOU DO OR LESS. BUT IT'S ANOTHER WAY TO SEE HOW YOU HAVE FORMULATED WHAT YOU THINK AND DO AND WHO YOU ARE GOING TO ARGUATE WITH, ESPECIALLY AT THANKSGIVING. Stephen: TO PROCEED-- TO PROPOSE THE IDEA OF SENTIENT PLANTS, DID YOU SMOKE ANY BABY PLANT? (APPLAUSE) IT WAS A NORTH SENTIENT PLANT AN ANIMAL. Stephen: E.T. IT'S A PLANT ♪ LIGHT UP THE LIGHT OF YOUR HEART ♪ IT HAD A HEART. THEY GAVE A HEART SO THAT YOU COULD RELATE WITH IT. BUT IT WAS A PLANT. Stephen: HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS A PLANT?

DO YOU REMEMBER E.T. WOULD YOU TOUCH THE PLANTS AND COME BACK? THAT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. Stephen: HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? STEPHEN SPIELBERG TOLD ME THIS IN MY OFFICE. Esteban: REALLY? THAT'S RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT? (LAUGHTER) COSMIC PERSPECTIVES ON CIVILIZATION" IS ON SALE NOW. NEIL deGRASSE TYSON, EVERYONE. WE'LL BE BACK WITH "SOMEBODY FEED PHIL" STAR PHIL ROSENTHAL.