Posts : 8734 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 79 Location : California
Subject: Re: Neil deGrasse Tyson Mon May 11, 2015 1:10 pm
Tyson has a great manner of speaking, in that he can reduce the most complex arguments to basics which anyone can understand. Of course, in this matter he is preaching to the choir where I am concerned.
NoCoPilot
Posts : 20368 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 70 Location : Seattle
Subject: Re: Neil deGrasse Tyson Mon May 11, 2015 2:15 pm
Tyson oversimplifies. "Life may be inevitable"? On what proof? Yeah there "may" be a teapot orbiting between Earth and Mars too. I choose to not ASSUME there is -- Occam's Razor.
He's right though that if we ever find extraterrestrial life we either won't recognize it, or it won't recognize us.
_Howard Admin
Posts : 8734 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 79 Location : California
Subject: Re: Neil deGrasse Tyson Mon May 11, 2015 2:26 pm
"On what proof?" I don't think proof is required when merely positing a possibility. Note his use of the word, "may." I think he presented sufficient reasons for the possibility of life elsewhere.
NoCoPilot
Posts : 20368 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 70 Location : Seattle
Subject: Re: Neil deGrasse Tyson Mon May 11, 2015 2:45 pm
Not even close.
Life is composed of the most common elements in the universe, is his reasoning.
Tyson is a distinguished scientist who is also an African American. Does that prove that all black men are scientists? No it does not. He has extrapolated a known specific case to the general -- a common tautological error of the unpracticed logician.
_Howard Admin
Posts : 8734 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 79 Location : California
Subject: Re: Neil deGrasse Tyson Mon May 11, 2015 2:59 pm
Quite so. A practiced logician would speak of teapots.
_Howard Admin
Posts : 8734 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 79 Location : California
Subject: Re: Neil deGrasse Tyson Mon May 11, 2015 4:26 pm
Okay. That was a cold shot. Please excuse me; not a good day.
NoCoPilot
Posts : 20368 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 70 Location : Seattle
Subject: Re: Neil deGrasse Tyson Mon May 11, 2015 7:06 pm
No, you're quite right. Lord Bertrand Russell was exponentially smarter than Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Home 
