Talk:Neil deGrasse Tyson

epic rap battles

Is it worth mentioning the parody rap featuring Neil and Isaac Newton ? It's had done media attention. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.114.142.100 (talk) 01:49, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

no Secondplanet (talk) 16:13, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

Definitely no. JoelWhy?(talk) 16:25, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

Not here anyway. Zero Serenity ^{(talk - contributions)} 18:03, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

it's not the real him anyways. NathanWubs (talk) 18:49, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

Predicting the 208 Presidential race

In the Views section there is a short paragraph about an op-ed Tyson wrote in the New York Times in 2008 that seems to have no relevance to his "views" and doesn't seem to me to be pertinent to his Wikipedia page. How does it improve our knowledge of him, his work, his views to suddenly point to an article he wrote eight years ago in which he employs calculations that show who would have won an election on a given date that is not election day? In fact, in the piece he specifically wroite: "This analysis does not predict what will happen in November. But it describes the present better than any other known method does."

Further, it certainly doesn't say anything about his support of the current president nor does it say that he particularly supported one candidate or the other. In fact, the end of article points out that more than anything, he is positing that the Democratic primary system may benefit from looking at the numbers using this then-new method: "And what does it say of the Democratic delegate selection system when its winner would lose the presidency if an election were held today, yet its loser would win it?"

I propose that this sentence be removed as it is irrelevant to the larger article. 18:03, 23 August 2014 (UTC) Axis42 8/23/14

You claim the text in question does not have any relevance to his views. But then you say about the reference that "he is positing" things, and you make it clear that the reference clearly DOES deal with at least one of his points of view and that he feels that certain things would be beneficial to the electoral system. If the text here does not reflect that fact, perhaps it should be updated and not just removed. Marteau (talk) 18:20, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

You are right, it does state a view of his. I actually had this thought in the shower just after posting the above. The paragraph, as written now, doesn't actually state that view though. So, if we think it should be included (which I still don't but in the interest of being comprehensive, I guess), how about we re-word as:

"On June 6, 2008, after the conclusion of the Democratic presidential primaries, Tyson wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in which he presented the results from "a new method of analysis on the statistics of polls," that he claimed is, "a far more accurate assessment of public opinion than most people’s politically informed commentary." His results showed that if the general election were held on the day after the conclusion of the Democratic Presidential primaries, Hillary Clinton would beat John McCain but McCain would beat Barack Obama. This, he noted, "... does not predict what will happen in November. But it describes the present better than any other known method does."Axis42 (talk) 21:34, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

Update to Cosmos note

Since Cosmos finished airing a few months ago, I thought it appropriate to put "began hosting" in the past tense, but it was quickly reverted. As far as I know there is no announcement that the series is going to continue; is there some other reason that it's inappropriate? Eowynjedi (talk) 23:55, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

Hoping to add a subsection on his views about Race

I've drafted a subsection about Tyson's views on race and how it has and still does affect his public persona. Since this is the first very substantive edit I've made to an article and it's Biography of a Living Person, I wanted to make sure I am doing it right, before I post. The draft is on my sandbox. Any comments or suggestions are welcome there or on this page. Thanks. Axis42 (talk) 05:24, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

Here is the link to Axis42's Sandbox[1] for anyone who would like to review it.Dynamicimanyd (talk) 11:19, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

George W Bush misquote

Twice today there has been an addition to this page about claims regarding Tyson misquoting public figures including members of Congress and George W. Bush. The first time it happened, an anonymous user did it, citing only a series of articles on The Federalist, all written by the same author. Dawn Bard quickly removed the changes saying, "I really think this is undue weight, no to mention OR/synth, reverting per BRD." Tonight Marteau re-inserted just a couple of sentences about a supposed misquote of George W. Bush by Tyson. The citation again used an article on The Federalist by the same author. I don't doubt the intentions of Marteau who I see is a seasoned editor. However, I am not convinced that this is an actual issue of concern nor am I sure that it actually happened. I could not find any reference to this being an issue outside of articles on The Federalist by the same author (all of which claim lack of evidence as proof) and posts on a variety of right-wing sites linking to the original Federalist posts. I am admittedly a new editor, but this feels like an attempt to gin up a controversy where one doesn't exist. Tyson's misquote and it being spread on the Internet is one thing, if it can be proven incorrect with citations. But the series of articles by the same author claiming a controversy where none seems to exist is pretty clearly OR, IMO. Axis42 (talk) 06:52, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

Dawn Bard's valid complaint of original research was not aimed at The Federalist author. It was aimed at the anonymous editor here whose edits did seem to include some original research. WP:OR is something only a Wikipedia editor can be accused of... it is by definition not something an outside journalist can be accused of, in the way Wikipedia uses the term and in the way Dawn Bard was using it. I was therefore careful to just include cited material and not sythesize or do OR. These words of Tyson's belong in the "Politics" section of his article because he was clearly mocking Bush's presumed idiocy, and has gone so far as to include the YouTube video of him saying it on his blog on the Hayden Planetarium website ( http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch/2008/06/19/george-bush-and-star-names ) where he is a director, thus making it more than just a trivial, passing statement. In addition, these words of Tyson's are being quoted many times on the internet, usually in the context of mocking Bush. It is true that one cannot prove a negative (one cannot prove that Bush did not say it) but I have cited The Federalist in saying that no evidence exists and that is not "original research" as the term is used on Wikipedia. Perhaps that phrasing can be tweaked, but the source does say no evidince exists that Bush said it. But these words of Tyson's, directly quoting Bush, and being as inflammatory as it is, and being that he has it on his Hayden Planitarium blog, and being that Tyson's actions are being widely quoted, should remain and not just simply be removed. Marteau (talk) 07:12, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

I just want to make sure I'm understanding this: Tyson quoted Bush once, and the quote may or may not have been accurate. Do I have this right? If so, I fail to see how this in any way, shape, or form manages to rise to the level of being something that warrants inclusion in an encyclopedia. JoelWhy?(talk) 12:27, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

This statement of Tyson's has for the past several years been widely quoted, and appears on a number of political blogs. It appears on WikiQuote. It is on his Hayden Planetarium blog where he serves as director. It does go towards his political views, which is why I put it under the "Views... Politics" section. Tyson stands up in public, resoundingly and proudly mocks an ex-president, blogs it on his professional blog. That is a political view. He says Bush purposely intended to highlight a division between "we" and "they" (Muslims) by saying a ludicrous thing, namely, that his God named the stars. That's a highly inflammatory public statement. There are already 1431 words under the "Views" section . The "Views" section has a sub-section about him doing a PSA for PETA. His views on Black History Month. Six paragraphs on his spiritual views. So yes, two sentences about him laying into Bush in public and with gusto belongs in the encyclopedia in the "Views...Politics" section. That's what the "Views" section is for... to document his "Views". Marteau (talk) 15:41, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

OK. Thanks for the clarification Marteau. I obviously misunderstood the meaning of OR. However, the statement and claim under discussion (and indeed all of the statements previously removed that were in the same vein) is relying on an attribution to a single source which appears to be a columnist at an outlet that I would not consider to be a reliable source per WP:RS because not all majority and specific minority voices are represented in it (specifically, Tyson's). As JoelWhy said, I don't see how this warrants inclusion in an encyclopedia. If there is a policy you can point me to that explains why all information about/actions by a person should be included on his/her page, I would appreciate it, as a new editor). More importantly, it seems that since this page is subject to WP:BLP, the source of a claim that its subject is "fabricating quotes" must be much more reliable than a columnist in one publication the subject fabricated quotes. Is that not a potentially libelous statement?Axis42 (talk) 15:06, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

"Reliable sources" are not required to be unbiased. As pointed out in WP:BIASED "Sometimes non-neutral sources are the best possible sources for supporting information about the different viewpoints held on a subject." I am not proposing that Wikipedia say Tyson "fabricated" a quote which is unnecessarly inflammatory and implies a motive which is not ours to imply. I am proposing Wikipedia say no evidence for the quote exists, which is cited, and which is true. No evidence of Bush saying those words which Tyson so proudly held up for mockery has been presented. Marteau (talk) 15:59, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

Understood. Thanks. So how about we say, "Tyson has claimed that following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, president George W. Bush said “Our God is the God who named the stars,” in order to “distinguish we from they (Muslims)”. The accuracy of his quote is questioned by a writer for TheFederalist.com" with appropriate citations to both the hayden blog and the federalist article? Axis42 (talk) 17:16, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

Your effort to remain impartial and non-partisan is admirable and refreshing. However, I have, as they say "seen this movie before" and no version of this event will be allowed into the article. I'm moving on. Marteau (talk) 02:14, 18 September 2014 (UTC)