neil degrasse tyson and his historical innacuracies | all facts

[Trill Clinton]

http://static.atlantablackstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Cosmos-Neil-deGrasse-Tyson-1900x1200-600x378.jpg

Tyson is making history with every word he writes and speaks. However, he falls short when it comes to delivering historical information on his series. The narrative driving “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” is presented from a Western, Euro-centric perspective. Some statements made on the show are historically inaccurate. Other statements clearly place importance on European contributions to science while excluding discoveries made by other cultures. Racial and cultural inclusion within science history would make the information he provides on “Cosmos” accurate and empowering to all.

The Ancient Egyptians Studied The Stars 5000 Years Before Europeans

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Tyson tells the audience that the cosmic perspective is a relatively modern phenomena. He says, “This cosmic perspective is relatively new, a mere 4 centuries ago our tiny world was oblivious to the cosmos, there were no telescopes the universe was only what you can see with the naked eye.”

This statement is not correct. Not only did the Ancient Egyptians have a grasp on the cosmic perspective more than 5,000 years before European scientists, but astronomy was an integral part of Ancient Egyptian society. Astronomers and architects worked together to construct temples, pyramids and monuments in alignment with cardinal points within the stars. For instance, the Great Pyramids have air shafts facing south that point to the star Sirius, marking the start of the Egyptian year. Orion, which represents death and rebirth, is also a focal point.

http://static.atlantablackstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Denedrazod.jpg

The Mysteries of Nature Were Decoded Before Modern Astronomy

Tyson attempts to put the age of the universe into perspective by using one Earth calendar year. He draws parallels between the last 40,000 years of human history and the last 60 seconds of the last hour on the last day of the calendar year. He then says, “Moses was born 7 seconds ago. Buddha, 6 seconds ago. Jesus, 5 seconds ago. Mohammed, 4 seconds ago. It was not even 2 seconds ago that, for better or worse, the two halves of the earth discovered each other. It was only in the last second we used science to unlock and reveal nature and her laws.”

Their discoveries occurred before the birth of Moses. The Stone Circles found in Nabta Playa serve as physical evidence of a 365- day calendar created by Egyptian astronomers. These early scientists were well-versed in observing stellar events such as the conjunctions, phases and risings of the Sun, Moon and planets.

Using science to understand nature even predates the modern religions that presently object to its findings. Ancient Egyptians incorporated what we now call science into almost every facet of their civilization. For instance, astronomy was instrumental in mapping time to understand cyclical changes in nature and improve agricultural planning. The Stone Circle found in Nabta Playa was originally created to assist farmers by predicting Nile river flooding. Ancient civilizations in China and India used astronomy to predict climate and seasonal changes as well.

http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/04/09/5-neil-degrasse-tyson-quotes-cosmos-get-side-eye/3/ (http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/04/09/5-neil-degrasse-tyson-quotes-cosmos-get-side-eye/3/)

[The Reckoning]

damn that uncle tom mofo!

[Trill Clinton]

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Did Our Ancestors Survive The Ice Age?

Tyson says, “Our ancestors lived in the endless winter of the last ice age. Fear of bears, wolves, mountain lion competed for prey and grain.”
Not all of ourancestors lived in the endless winter of the last Ice Age. Neanderthals were the predominant group to endure the harsh elements of the Ice Age that heavily affected Europe. Neanderthal genes are not found in African people. A wealth of scientific discoveries were discovered during African antiquity, yet the importance of African ancestry goes unmentioned. In this instance, the “Cosmos” narrative reinforces the importance of European contributions to science by misplacement of historical context and its relevance to people of color today.

[Trill Clinton]

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Other Cultures Knew That the Earth Orbited the Sun Thousands of Years Before Copernicus

“Every human being on the planet thought the earth was the center of the universe up until Copernicus,” Tyson begins. “He was supposedly the first to think the earth revolved around the sun.”
Both Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Indian societies were already knowledgeable of the planets’ rotation around the sun, and incorporated this information into everything from spirituality to agriculture. The Greeks also were aware that the sun was the center of the galaxy. As a matter of fact, the word “Heliocentrism” which literally means “sun center,” is of Greek origin.

[cantthinkofanything]

balderdash...the next thing you'll tell us is that quantum physics was first progressed by the Ubangee tribe.

[Trill Clinton]

http://i57.tinypic.com/2dt1xqo.jpg


Dogs’ Ancestors Get More Recognition for Scientific Contributions Than African Ancestors.

“This wolf discovered what a branch of his ancestors figured out some 15,000 years ago. An excellent survival strategy: the domestication of the humans. Let the humans do the hunting. Don’t threaten them. They’ll let you scavenge their garbage,” Tyson explains. “You’ll eat more regularly, you’ll leave more offspring and those offspring will inherit your disposition. This selection for tameness will be reinforced with each generation until that of line of wild wolf evolved into dogs.”

While this statement may not be untrue, this particular segment about the selective breeding relationship between early European man and wolves went far more in depth than any correlation between science and other cultures. While seemingly harmless, this could be viewed as an underlying suggestion of where value is placed in Western society. As it stands, the only mention of African people in the series is when Tyson says,”Africans would look up into the sky and see destruction and war.”

[The Reckoning]

tbh i'd like to see rebuttals in these articles with proper in text citations. although i agree with them criticizing him for taking a eurocentric prospective, their statements are quite grandiose and i'd like to see specific evidence backing those claims

[Trill Clinton]

damn that uncle tom mofo!


he's far from an uncle tom, stop it.

[Trill Clinton]

Sources:
http://www.astronomytrek.com
https://explorable.com/egyptian-astronomy
https://explorable.com/egyptian-astronomy
http://www.chinapage.com/astronomy/syho.html
http://annesastronomynews.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_astronomy

[The Reckoning]

.com - nope

.com - nope

.com - nope


.html- dafuq is that shit

.com - nope


wikipedia (rofl) - nope


come on man something credible with in text citations meaning author, year, page. preferably out of an academic journal. go!

[jag]

oooh...I see where this thread is going.

Ok, fine.

Alexander the Great was black.
Napoleon was black.
Genghis Khan was black.
Einstein was black.
Da Vinci was black.
Etcetera etcetera

[jag]

I'd actually enjoy seeing a debate on how "black" ancient Egyptians actually were.

[Trill Clinton]

oooh...I see where this thread is going.

Ok, fine.

Alexander the Great was black.
Napoleon was black.
Genghis Khan was black.
Einstein was black.
Da Vinci was black.
Etcetera etcetera


again, y'all are getting worked up for no reason. his entire show has been from an euro point of view and its false. africans and greeks studied the stars waaaay before the people he claims did, fact.

[jag]

Bro, you got Hannibal and George Washington Carver.

That's not so bad.

[Trill Clinton]

.com - nope

.com - nope

.com - nope


.html- dafuq is that shit

.com - nope


wikipedia (rofl) - nope


come on man something credible with in text citations meaning author, year, page. preferably out of an academic journal. go!

the links work for me and you're college educated, fam. if you are geniunely interested in the historical truths behind astronomy, then do your own research.

[Trill Clinton]

for the record, i understand his focus is on the science and not history. just wanted him to give credit where its due. is that asking for too much?

[Stan]

the links work for me and you're college educated, fam. if you are geniunely interested in the historical truths behind astronomy, then do your own research.
I can relate to what you're saying in your songs
so when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put 'em on
cause I don't really got shit else so that shit helps when I'm depressed
I even got a tattoo with your name across the chest

[Stan]

for the record, i understand his focus is on the science and not history. just wanted him to give credit where its due. is that asking for too much?
Dear Slim, I wrote you but you still ain't calling
I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom

[Trill Clinton]

I can relate to what you're saying in your songs
so when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put 'em on
cause I don't really got shit else so that shit helps when I'm depressed
I even got a tattoo with your name across the chest


Dear Slim, I wrote you but you still ain't calling
I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom

Dear Stan, I meant to write you sooner but I just been busy
You said your girlfriend's pregnant now, how far along is she?
Look, I'm really flattered you would call your daughter that
and here's an autograph for your brother,
I wrote it on the Starter cap

foh doggie

[Stan]

Dear Stan, I meant to write you sooner but I just been busy
You said your girlfriend's pregnant now, how far along is she?
Look, I'm really flattered you would call your daughter that
and here's an autograph for your brother,
I wrote it on the Starter cap

foh doggie

Shut up bitch! I'm trying to talk!
Hey Slim, that's my girlfriend screaming in the trunk
but I didn't slit her throat, I just tied her up, see I ain't like you
cause if she suffocates she'll suffer more, and then she'll die too

[baseline bum]

400 years ago? Where are you getting that? He probably said the modern view of the cosmos is 400 years old, which is true. But Tyson is constantly talking about the middle east and how the Arabs named most of the stars back when Europe was a dark age shithole. He focused on it last fucking episode! And he always discusses our stars having arabic names as a cautionary tale of what happens when a society gets really religious and casts science as evil, like the fundamentalist muslims did and now the jeebotards do with evolution by natural selection and the Big Bang theory.

[The Reckoning]

Bro, you got Hannibal and George Washington Carver.

That's not so bad.


nah just peanut butter. hannibal was phoenician.

[RD2191]

:lol

[jag]

hannibal was phoenician.

Carthaginian brah

[mrsmaalox]

I think Tyson has done a good job addressing those issues, it kind of seems that the author of that article isn't paying very close attention. There's still lots of episodes left, how do we know those things won't be covered in enough detail to satisfy everyone in one of those? Wait and see, then complain.

[The Reckoning]

Carthaginian brah

and carthage was a phoenician colony. i couldnt resist the bait i know...

[Trill Clinton]

bottom line is he was african.

[spurraider21]

MLK would be disappointing in Trill. he was fighting against separatism tbh

or was he an uncle Tom too? :lmao

[Trill Clinton]

i respect mlk but i've always held malcom x in higher regard. before segregation we had our own business, homes and we were thriving.

[CubanSucks]

nah just peanut butter. hannibal was phoenician.

there was that one black scientist they mentioned a couple weeks ago I believe. They didn't know anything about him except he was described as "dark" or some shit I think

[jag]

and carthage was a phoenician colony. i couldnt resist the bait i know...

Carthage asserted their independence from Phonecia over 200 years before Hannibal was born. Unless I'm mistken, during his lifetime, Carthage was about as Phoenician as Georgia is Russian. I've rarely heard him referred to as "Phoenician."

[The Reckoning]

Carthage asserted their independence from Phonecia over 200 years before Hannibal was born. Unless I'm mistken, during his lifetime, Carthage was about as Phoenician as Georgia is Russian. I've rarely heard him referred to as "Phoenician."


download the pdf, read it, and tell me if the author doesn't basically say

carthaginian = phoenician

as well as all of the primary resources he cites

http://www.articleserver.info/pdfs/GAL252pe.pdf

yes you have punic, etc etc but hannibal was from the upper class and "barca" is similar to the canaanite "baraq" or arabic "barq"

if you talk lineage, it's safe to assume hannibal's ancestry is that of middle eastern mediterranean stock than african.

[The Reckoning]

i'd link the whole book but i think it's behind a paywall. that's all i'll do to educate spurstalkers. leading you to the water but i cant make you drink.

[Clipper Nation]

:lol Jeebotards reaching
:lol Neil teaching

[Wild Cobra]

Looking at the stars and understanding celestial movement is one thing, but has anyone seen an Egyptian telescope? I didn't know they had optics back then.

[Wild Cobra]

again, y'all are getting worked up for no reason. his entire show has been from an euro point of view and its false. africans and greeks studied the stars waaaay before the people he claims did, fact.
With telescopes?

[Monostradamus]

i respect mlk but i've always held malcom x in higher regard. before segregation we had our own business, homes and we were thriving.

:lmao yes, the thriving pre-Civil Rights black community. So much prosperity aside from all the lynching.

[Rogue]

rofl this thread

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/487/329/d09.png

[spurraider21]

i've always held malcom x in higher regard
wasn't his lover a white dude :lol

[The Reckoning]

wasn't his lover a white dude :lol

hahhahahaa wooooooooww supposedly it is true

[baseline bum]

rofl this thread

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/487/329/d09.png

Why Communist Manifesto in your pic son? Das Kapital is way better tbh.

[Trill Clinton]

wasn't his lover a white dude :lol

all i know is he was a married man with children, fam. everything else is speculation. i stick with the facts.

[Trill Clinton]

:lmao yes, the thriving pre-Civil Rights black community. So much prosperity aside from all the lynching.

yup we were doing our thang but the white supremacy became too much. y'all couldn't stand to see us living lavish and having nice things. true story.

[Rogue]

Why Communist Manifesto in your pic son? Das Kapital is way better tbh.
he was using my account so he had to conform to my interest/preference imho (knowing I'm from a commie country).

[Monostradamus]

yup we were doing our thang but the white supremacy became too much. y'all couldn't stand to see us living lavish and having nice things. true story.

Well by all means, go ahead and campaign for the reinstatement of segregation and Jim Crow laws. Go back to the time of disenfranchised blacks. We'll see how far that gets you in the community :lmao

[Trill Clinton]

Well by all means, go ahead and campaign for the reinstatement of segregation and Jim Crow laws. Go back to the time of disenfranchised blacks. We'll see how far that gets you in the community :lmao

why would i campaign for jim crow laws??? you serious??? segregation without the racism from jealous and evil cacs would be great right about now.

[Monostradamus]

why would i campaign for jim crow laws??? you serious??? segregation without the racism from jealous and evil cacs would be great right about now.

There was no segregation without the Jim Crow laws. You claimed pre-Civil Rights that blacks were better off. That means Jim Crow laws and no voting rights. Have fun with that!

[ChumpDumper]

I'm going to venture a guess that Trill hasn't actually watched Cosmos and bases his knowledge of Tyson only on these articles he picked up on militantblackrevisionistbuzzfeed.com

[spurraider21]

all i know is he was a married man with children, fam. everything else is speculation. i stick with the facts.
:lol the nile in a thread about egypt

[The Reckoning]

http://youtu.be/vHLJfxfXHBg

[jag]

download the pdf, read it, and tell me if the author doesn't basically say

carthaginian = phoenician

as well as all of the primary resources he cites

http://www.articleserver.info/pdfs/GAL252pe.pdf

yes you have punic, etc etc but hannibal was from the upper class and "barca" is similar to the canaanite "baraq" or arabic "barq"

if you talk lineage, it's safe to assume hannibal's ancestry is that of middle eastern mediterranean stock than african.

I think the discussion regarding Carthage as "Pheonician" is mostly one of semantics. Carthage was of course Pheonician in its early days. However, by the time of Hannibal, Carthage had established itself as independent from Phoenicia. I'm not sure that it matters, especially as it relates to his lineage, but I don't consider Hannibal to have been "Phoenician."

As far as his lineage, I completely agree with you. There is little evidence that Hannibal even remotely resembled a sub-Saharan African like many Afrocentric historians have purported. My comment to Trill was mostly tongue-in-cheek.