There are doses of humor and pop culture, added only where they could also advance the ideas of a chapter. And I'm proud to say that the book is relatively short, making a fast read. The book is Mr. Tyson's thoughts on a variety of topics, mainly how we humans categorize others - often to justify hating them.

Since antiquity, the subjects of truth and beauty have occupied the thoughts of our deepest thinkers—especially the minds of philosophers and theologians and the occasional poet such as John Keats, who observes within his 1819 poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn”:1 The book is interesting, but I expected it to be more about science and less about random subjects. Still, Tyson is a smart, well Alongside their catalog IDs,7 we typically name astrophysical nebulae for what they resemble, using all kinds of fun earthly references, including the Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), the Crab Nebula (NGC 1952), the Dumbbell Nebula (NGC 6853), the Eagle Nebula (NGC 6611), the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), the Horsehead Nebula (IC 434), the Lagoon Nebula (NGC 6523), the Lemon Slice Nebula (IC 3568), the North American Nebula (NGC 7000), the Owl Nebula (NGC 3587), the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720), and the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070). Yes, they all actually look like or strongly evoke what we’ve called them. One more: the Pacman Nebula (NGC 281), named for the hungry 1980s video game character. As we’ll see in this summary to Tyson’s Starry Messenger, this rational approach doesn’t just help us figure out what really matters – it can also stimulate a greater sense of unity. Exploration challenges our assumptions about ourselves. The book is a collection of essays that explore various topics related to civilization, such as war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race, from a cosmic perspective. The author uses his knowledge and experience as an astrophysicist and science communicator to illuminate the connections and contradictions between our human affairs and the natural laws of the universe.The real problem arises when the sense of superiority applies not to an individual....but to an entire demographic. This can lead to war, genocide, and other atrocities. Tyson notes that fields of study like mathematics and physical sciences resist human bias, so are less susceptible to feelings of superiority. Tyson admits the researchers themselves can be racist, sexist, misanthropes. However, the scientists' prejudices won't be in textbooks, because published results MUST be reproducible to be considered valid.

But nature does not limit its beauty to things. Objectively true ideas can carry a beauty all their own. Allow me to choose some favorite examples: In a time when our political and cultural perspectives feel more divisive than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin engines of enlightenment–a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. He included myriad thought experiments to show the absurdity in stereotyping people (according to skin color, sexuality, political leanings, etc), and how lazy it is to simply plop a label on someone we don't even know, and decide we know everything about them.

Publisher details

It’s easy enough to imagine cooking penne in a mountain lodge some 10,000 feet above sea level even if you’ve never actually done it. What about boiling pasta on Mars, though? Let’s leave aside the inconvenient fact that any human who tried to do so would immediately suffocate and die, and focus instead on a technical question: At what temperature does water boil in a Martian kitchen? Here’s where things get interesting. After all that, you’d think only one definition for truth should exist in this world, but no. At least two other kinds prevail that drive some of the most beautiful and the most violent expressions of human conduct. Personal truths have the power to command your mind, body, and soul, but are not evidence-based. Personal truths are what you’re sure is true, even if you can’t—especially if you can’t—prove it. Some of these ideas derive from what you want to be true. Others take shape from charismatic leaders or sacred doctrines, either ancient or contemporary. For some, especially in monotheistic traditions, God and Truth are synonymous. The Christian Bible says so:2 For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe. In theory, mass environmental awareness could have taken off before William Anders took his seminal snapshot. But it didn’t. It happened in the middle of our missions to the Moon. That’s no coincidence. Concern for our planet’s ecosystem was a fruit of the cosmic perspective. The natural world defies our common-sense assumptions. As I was reading this, I didn't expect to learn anything new, but that wasn't really the point. Even the title hints at its true purpose: to inspire awe.