Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a physicist, an author, and an advocate of science and astronomy in the public eye. In addition to his job as the Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, he hosted the Fox TV science series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. He has also written several books about the universe and our place in it including Cosmic Horizons, Death by Black Hole, and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.

Tyson was born in Manhattan, New York City on October 5, 1958. His zodiac sign is Libra.

Neil deGrasse Tyson – His Religious Beliefs

Tyson is an agnostic, a person that is undecided about the existence of God. “I remain unconvinced by any claims anyone has ever made about the existence or the power of a divine force operating in the universe,” he once said in a podcast discussion about religion and philosophy. (1)

“So what people are really after is what is my stance on religion or spirituality or God, and I would say if I find a word that came closest, it would be agnostic … at the end of the day I’d rather not be any category at all,” Neil has said.

Here is a video in which he explains why he chooses to be labeled as an agnostic and not as an atheist (someone who firmly does not believe in a supreme being.)

Neil deGrasse Tyson – Spirituality Through Science

Neil is a passionate speaker about the grandeur of the universe and humanity trying to comprehend our place in it. On this topic, he identifies with a strong spiritual feeling that he explains as such:

“For me, when I say spiritual, I’m referring to a feeling you would have that connects you to the universe in a way that it may defy simple vocabulary. We think about the universe as an intellectual playground, which it surely is, but the moment you learn something that touches an emotion rather than just something intellectual, I would call that a spiritual encounter with the universe.” (2)

Neil deGrasse Tyson – His Political Beliefs

Tyson has not used his public persona to promote a personal political bent. However, he has both praised and critiqued policies that individual elected officials have endorsed.

“When you have people who don’t know much about science, standing in denial of it and rising to power, that is a recipe for the complete dismantling of our informed democracy,” he once said. (3)

Shortly after President Trump unveiled his first budget, Tyson took to Twitter to attack the proposed cuts to science, education and health care funding:

The fastest way to Make a America Weak Again: Cut science funds to our agencies that support it.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 19, 2017

The fastest way to Make America Sick Again: Cut funding to the National Institutes of Health

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 19, 2017

The fastest way to Make America Stupid: Cut funds to programs that support education.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 19, 2017

The fastest way to thwart Earth’s life-support systems for us all: Turn EPA into EDA — the Environmental Destruction Agency.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 19, 2017

Neil also believes that more people from different career backgrounds should rise to become elected officials. Here he is talking about his discovery that 50% of Congress is made up of individuals that came from law:

Neil deGrasse Tyson – Does He Believe in Aliens?

While the scientist is open to the notion that extraterrestrial life exists elsewhere in the universe (4), he is a firm non-believer in aliens visiting Earth in the here and now.

“Call me when you have a dinner invite from an alien,” Tyson said in a television interview. “The evidence is so paltry for aliens to visit Earth, I have no further interest.” (5)

Neil deGrasse Tyson – His Relationships

The astrophysicist married Alice Young in 1988, and today the couple have two children: a daughter named Miranda, and a son named Travis.

He is of mixed descent, with his father being African-American and his mother Puerto Rican. Neil has two siblings, a brother (Stephen) and a sister (Lynn).

Sources:

1: Rationally Speaking

2: The Paul Mecurio Show

3: The Grapevine

4: Wired

5: CNN

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