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Neil deGrasse Tyson — How to Dream Big, Think Scientifically, and Get More Done (#389)

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“What matters is: Are you a good problem solver? Are you moral? Are you a hard worker? Are you a good leader? Do you have insights into the field? These are the questions that matter.”

— Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) was appointed the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium in 1996. Dr. Tyson’s professional research interests are primarily related to the structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and the formation of stars, supernovas, and dwarf galaxies.

Dr. Tyson graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, received his BA from Harvard, and earned his PhD in astrophysics from Columbia University in 1991. In 2001 he was appointed by President Bush to serve on the 12-member Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry. In 2004 Dr. Tyson received a second appointment from President Bush, this time to the nine-member President’s Commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy (dubbed the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission). In 2016 he was appointed by the US secretary of defense to be an advisor to the DoD on the future of sci-tech innovation.

Dr. Tyson has been awarded 21 honorary degrees as well as the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, and he has authored multiple books on the universe, including Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, which was a New York Times bestseller, and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet, chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status.

His newest book is Letters from an Astrophysicist, a companion to his 2017 bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.

Since 2006 Dr. Tyson has appeared as the on-camera host of PBS-NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW. He also hosts a popular radio show and podcast called StarTalk in addition to the Emmy-nominated StarTalk TV show on National Geographic.

In 2014 Dr. Tyson hosted a reboot of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos.

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.

#389: Neil deGrasse Tyson — How to Dream Big, Think Scientifically, and Get More Done

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Want to hear another episode with a curious mind dedicated to science? — Listen to my conversation with Bob Metcalfe, the man behind ethernet, Metcalfe’s Law, and more. (Stream below or right-click here to download):

#297: Bob Metcalfe — The Man (and Lessons) Behind Ethernet, Metcalfe’s Law, and More

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Connect with Neil deGrasse Tyson:

Website | StarTalk | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

SHOW NOTES

  • As a naturally curious teenager already on track to pursue a career in science, who influenced young Neil to excel at communicating and sharing what he learned with the world in such an engaging way? [07:05]
  • When Neil and his siblings were growing up, how did their ambitious parents actively encourage their intellectual development through free expression of interest — and what were the results? [11:07]
  • City life versus suburban life: Why Neil is glad he grew up in the “learning laboratory” of New York City — even when it was at its statistically unsafest — instead of the suburbs. [16:42]
  • “Active in professionally relieving the suffering of others,” how did Neil’s parents relate to and nurture their son’s budding interest in astrophysics? [25:50]
  • The bookstore’s remainder table is great for parents who want to buy their kids something to read at a fabulous discount. But how is an author supposed to feel when his or her books wind up there? [27:48]
  • On Carl Sagan and his magnificent ability to communicate complex ideas to the layperson, and how Neil strives to do the same — especially when faced with morning talk show hosts who try to stump him with “gotcha” questions. [29:16]
  • The links between Carl Sagan’s Cosmos and Neil’s own 2014 follow-up, and why they’re atypical of what people usually think of as documentaries. [35:46]
  • How can schools and workplaces emphasize curiosity so that learning becomes a lifelong pursuit? [38:26]
  • Books or resources Neil recommends for people who would like to develop their ability to look at the world through a more intellectually curious lens. [45:16]
  • The problem with Pulitzer Prize-driven journalism in the “ratty, bloody, bleeding” research frontier of science where most things are wrong. [50:10]
  • When happened when 17-year-old Neil’s application to Cornell was forwarded to Carl Sagan, and how the meeting that followed codified what kind of scientist Neil would aspire to become, and the humanity he would endeavor to carry with him in his interactions with others. [53:47]
  • What lesson does Neil hope to most instill in students, why is it better to take a harder class even at the risk of a lower grade than an easy class for a guaranteed A, and what book of his own would he sign for them in “homage to Carl?” [57:49]
  • With so many potential projects on his desk at any given time, what inspired the decision for Neil to write his latest book, Letters from an Astrophysicist, now? [1:01:33]
  • Neil’s “overbooking” method of dealing with projects, his time management techniques for minimizing selfie requests on the subway and answering emails during interstices, and what his wife does to help him filter out the unessential. [1:09:00]
  • What does the communication process look like when Neil has to back out and break the bad news to one of his overbooked commitments? [1:13:55]
  • Neil and I agree that being written about should have, in addition to a fact-checking phase, an impression-checking phase. [1:17:17]
  • Why Neil used a spreadsheet to decide on Harvard for his undergraduate studies. [1:19:07]
  • How Neil studied past episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to prepare for his first appearance and ensure the information he was trying to deliver didn’t get lost between the comedy. [1:19:32]
  • Neil shares a few of his favorite failures and awkward pauses. [1:22:35]
  • Neil may not have had the highest GPA in his high school class, but he was far from being the “mediocre” student some sources claim. And if you want to fight him about it, just be aware that he was an undefeated wrestler (until college). [1:28:10]
  • A few of Neil’s favorite quotes. [1:35:38]
  • Parting thoughts. [1:43:47]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with over 500 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.

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17 Replies to “Neil deGrasse Tyson — How to Dream Big, Think Scientifically, and Get More Done (#389)”

  2. I’d love to see the transcripts of Tim’s internal monologue as Tyson is vigorously defending his student years for the last 20 minutes of this interview.

    Reply

  3. I had a difficult time finding the comment box😊

    YOU HAVE TO LOOK UP AND TRY “CFORCE” water

    “It’s a roundhouse kick of Hydration”. Chuck Norris’ water from his TX ranch. My protein drink does not clump!!!! Naturally high PH

    Anyway, I always scan ur Friday notes.

    Thanks for all of it. Cary

    Reply

  4. I love his podcast. Although an Astrophysicist, Neil adds to any scientific, or other, conversation.

    Favorite quote is the obvious one at the to of the story – “What matters is: Are you a good problem solver? Are you moral? Are you a hard worker? Are you a good leader? Do you have insights into the field? These are the questions that matter.”

    — Neil deGrasse Tyson

    Reply

  5. Very well done as always, I appreciated the humility in describing less than stellar moments in his experience. Just goes to show that if you keep your cool you can navigate the mudslides somewhat effectively.

    Reply

  8. Tim, I absolutely loved your interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson! I so appreciated the space you gave him to talk and dive deeply into some many interesting things about his life and life in general. It was fun and I was laughing out loud with the both of you!

    Reply

  9. Hi, Tim. I was riveted by this conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and I posted a link to it on my Facebook page. Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  10. Hi Tim, We’ve just featured your website The Four Hour Chef, in our publication which is the most extensive resource of its kind on the internet. (See the link to your website’s section.) I would love to get in touch with you on it. Your contact page said the easiest way to get in touch was via a blog comment so here I go. 🙂

    Reply

  11. Until the transcript come out, here’s a bit of life philosophy that I’d never heard of before, and which really made me think. “I used to dance … I’m done dancing. That’s a chapter of my life. I’m in a different chapter now. I don’t have chapters of the past that [I long] to relive in the future. For every chapter you want to relive, you have not done enough with your life in the present. To continue to grow who and what you are, and what you can be, benefitting from the wisdom that you’ve accumulated over all the years that you’ve been alive since then.”

    Reply

  12. I think the human brain needs to wake up, try to think outside the box and get stronger. sometimes we stop at what we have, what little we have and don’t think about being able to do more, better and better. thinking with one’s head sometimes doesn’t make a man. the advertisements now control us, I want to dissociate myself from it.

    Reply