Starry Messenger

After my previous review of a book by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Accessory to War, I realized that our views on the relationship between science and public policy, while not opposing, do not quite align. As such, when came across his recently published book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization, I wasn't sure what to expect. But with my accidentally acquired advanced reader copy (somehow I picked up a pre-publication copy more than ten months after the proper publication went on sale), I decided to give the astrophysicist another go.

Perhaps surprisingly, I actually found myself much more open to his opinions in this work. Apparently, when not considering the defense applications of scientific research, my views are more strongly aligned with his. Starry Messenger's goal is to analyze humanity from above, remove emotions from the equation and approach it in a more logical manner, or as one of my favorite podcasters would put it, "from the Martian perspective". Actually, given the title of the book, the quote is even more applicable than I expected.

From the very beginning, deGrasse Tyson doesn't shy away from potentially thorny subjects, addressing the variability of truth in both objective and personal beauty concepts. It also led to one very depressing, yet accurate quote:  "The beauty we've created is not even skin deep. It washes off in the shower." 

A number of different topics are touched on: gambling, race relations, and more. And all of them are analyzed through a large scope. Real speck of dust in the universe kind of mentality. It's almost disconcerting how small all of humanity's troubles seem to become.

Although Neil deGrasse Tyson's slightly condescending tone is still present throughout the work, it wasn't excessively bothersome. Actually, it is probably his most widely applicable work that I've read, and can be enjoyed by most subsets of people. Overall, it's a pretty easy, yet thought-provoking, read which I do recommend.