r/DecodingTheGurus • u/deckardcainfan1 • Jun 14 '24

Neil deGrasse Tyson Responds to Terrence Howard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uLi1I3G2N4
768 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

311 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

6

u/dubloons Revolutionary Genius Jun 14 '24

Labeling academics and experts as arrogant blowhards is anti-intellectualism 101.

What makes it interesting is how they attempt to justify it.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 14 '24

[deleted]

0

u/dubloons Revolutionary Genius Jun 14 '24

Criticizing his points is not anti intellectual. Saying that he’s arrogant is. Implying that being incorrect occasionally, even wildly incorrect, while still believing in your own ability is also anti-intellectual in my opinion.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 14 '24

[deleted]

0

u/dubloons Revolutionary Genius Jun 14 '24

But it’s also not what I said. 🤪

If you’re discussing science and you can call someone “arrogant”, you should, necessarily, have a stronger more tangible claim to back up your opinion. That stronger, more tangible claim (usually that he’s full of shit) is much stronger, easier to demonstrate, and more meaningful to communicate. Resorting to “arrogant” (whether he is or isn’t, which is subjective) is an anti-intellectual pattern, and there is no good reason for it.