“Cosmos” Premiere: Does Society Care about Science? (Reboot of Show By Carl Sagan)

FRom Quarks to Quasars ^ | March 10, 2014 | Staff

[lbryce]

“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” premiered yesterday night.* This reboot is an update on the original series, which was produced by (possibly) the most beloved astronomer of the 20th century, the late Carl Sagan. The series initially ran in September of 1980, and Sagan subsequently turned it into a book. This was all 34 years ago. Even now, the words Sagan etched into his book are continuously shared across various social media outlets, which is a testament to truly how awe-inspiring the presentation was, and still is.

However, anyone who is familiar with science knows that it progresses at an amazing speed, so while Sagan’s series isn’t what one would call “inaccurate,” there is a lot of information that is missing or out-of-date. As such, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson signed on to be the presenter for an update (or a continuation, if you will) to the series, which is meant to cover the same material as the original series, along with including the plethora of new knowledge that is based on the advances that we’ve made over the last three decades.

Tyson, along with Sagan’s widow, Ann Druyan, has been attempting to create a remake of the series ever since Sagan’s death in 1996. However, producers and TV executives believed that the series would not appeal to modern audiences. This is a rather alarming belief, especially when one considers that the original Cosmos remained one of the networks highest rated program for nearly a decade. Consequently one is forced to wonder: Has society really changed that much since the original premiere?

[I still care]

Ticked me off. First, they started with he who shall not be named (the community organizer) making a comment. Then of course the constant evil ignorant Christian bashing.

There was a least a ten minute cartoon segment when evil men with big crosses on their hats chased this freedom loving guy (Giordano Bruno) tortured him, and burnt him because he insisted the universe was infinite and the earth went around the sun. You know, I guess if you repeat a lie enough times people believe it.

Now granted, the Catholic church at the time was not a beacon of free and independent religious thought, but the reason Bruno ran into trouble was NOT his scientific ideas but because he ran around insisting that Christ was just a magician and other strange doctrine. He was on the Catholic church’s territory there, which is not wise. I mean, go over to Iran and try lecturing them nowadays about how Mohammed was just a magician and see where you end up. The show so totally misrepresented the facts I have to believe they had bad intent.

The idea that Galileo and Bruno and such were mostly persecuted because of their earth centric theories is not so. They got into trouble because they liked to make trouble by getting into personal scraps with powerful people (like the Pope) and arguing doctrine. It’s all revisionist history.

[Noob1999]

As posted to an earlier post:

---

Once the show got into the cartoon characters, I realized this is going to seriously suck.

I wondered why Zer0 would put his name on it!

But, then I realized that the recent poll, where 25% of Americans believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth;

and Bingo, we struck the Zer0 voting base; thus his pie-hole at the beginning and the cartoons!

A show directed toward idiots!

[lbryce]

Because the kids love it.

[olezip]

I thought the show was very well produced. I can’t wait to see the other 12 episodes. Makes me want to go back and watch the old version of the show too. We need more science for the masses.

It was a good show if you eliminate the unnecessary, awful, and inaccurate portion about Giordano Bruno.

We watched Cosmos and enjoyed its beauty and the wonder of the universe it presented, and the compressed calendar of time. But the series wrecked its credibility by presenting an inaccurate view of Giordano Bruno as a martyr for science. Bruno was not a scientist; he was not executed for science. He was a religious philosopher. It was his pantheist beliefs that got him into trouble.

Being so obviously wrong on the history of Bruno, and making him a martyr for science makes the entire series suspect as yet another propaganda tool of the left. We shall see.

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks lbryce, and no thanks. :’|

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Obama (and Bill Nye in this picture) on Cosmos Sunday
http://guardianlv.com/2014/03/neil-degrasse-tyson-and-obama-on-cosmos-sunday/

[Oratam]

Now, I’m beginning to feel really bad, guilty for posting this.

[Oratam]

I think Tyson has been given orders to break the hold of religious faith on America’s blacks.

[Oratam]

We need more science for the masses.

Masses? Are you sure you're in the right place?

[indthkr]

Lefty Science bump for later......

[V K Lee]

Seen on several networks this evening-— missed the appearance of ‘dear reader’ With the high tech special effects we now see daily, the disappointment was high when the remake was seen. Rather than blow your socks off images, what aired it appeared to be the cartoon characters from an Japanese children’s network. Neil deGrasse Tyson is no Carl Sagan, in fact he reminds me of an actor who once played on a police or sit com series Where he has been seen still escapes me. Disappointment -extreme disappointment. Expecting too much?

[lbryce]

Oh...... you really know how to hurt a guy..... :-)

[Mrs. Don-o]

Oh for goodness' sake, Giordano Bruno! How many times must we dispel this fiction?

Bruno wasn't burned at the stake for science. Perhaps they'll find authoritative the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: "Thus, in 1600 there was no official Catholic position on the Copernican system, and it was certainly not a heresy. When Giordano Bruno (1548–1600) was burned at the stake as a heretic, it had nothing to do with his writings in support of Copernican cosmology ..."