Review of Cosmos (the TV experience)

I have always been interested in the natural world. In middle school and junior high and high school my curiosity began to take shape and I became very enamored of science as a discipline to study “when I grew up.” In my spare time I read a lot of medical mystery thrillers (think Robin Cook, Michael Chrichton, and the like) that further pushed me to think about studying biology in college, and maybe becoming a doctor. It was during this fertile time period of scientific growth that I read Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World.

http://www.waivingentropy.com/2014/03/03/review-the-demon-haunted-world/

This book remains one of my all-time favorites. It put science in the context of a greater world, and talked about the perception of science vs. pseudoscience, and how as a population we needed to know the difference between the two. It was a scientific literacy primer that probably worked its way into my brain and planted a nugget of wisdom. A nugget that reminds me to this day that not only is “science” important, but having a basic understanding of scientific principles is also integral to a functioning society. This nugget is probably what initially gave me the internal push to pursue a career in science education. I am forever thankful for this book, above all of the books of Carl Sagan that I have read.

All of that was a way for me to preface my thoughts on the show Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. This current incarnation is hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, whose show Star Talk I listen to in my podcast queue. Already, with my long-time admiration of Sagan and my current enjoyment of what deGrasse Tyson does, I loved the idea of the Cosmos TV show. Even more exciting to me is that it is airing on network TV. Science for the masses! Exciting science for everyone! This is what we need! I was not exposed to the first time this aired with Sagan himself, so this opinion is coming from someone who only has this show to look at. No prior opinions of the show, only of the people attached to it. I also come to this as a biologist, and not an astrophysicist, so my understanding of this field of science is sorely lacking. My interest is huge… my knowledge base… not so much.

https://www.droid-life.com/2014/03/10/cosmos-spacetime-odyssey-android/

My overall thought after Episode #1? This. Is. Awesome.

The first episode seems to come down to the simple notion of “you are here.” It sets everything up in the context of where we are in the universe, and where we are in time. I loved the use of a calendar year to represent the history of time from the big bang to the present day. It is always fascinating to me to think that in the scale of time of the cosmos, we (the inhabitants of Earth), have really only been around for a few seconds. This visual journey puts everything that we know in perspective.

deGrasse Tyson is a great host. Gravitas and excitement all rolled into one package. By the end of the episode, I was ready for more. The mix of live action, CG & animation worked for me overall. I liked the animated forays into history. I’ve already read that some feel that the first episode points too many fingers at the church. In the historical context I think the show was good at pointing out that at the time men began to question the role of the Earth in the universe, society did not take well to free thought and the posing of questions that could go against what they understood of God. The whole point of the show, to me, is to remind people that it is the asking of questions — the desire to learn the most we can about the world(s) around us — that is necessary and important.

I am thrilled that this is airing on network TV to reach the largest audience possible. I hope that people watch the show and realize that science is cool, and that scientific literacy is not just for crazy academic-type people. Science is for all of us.