What is the first news event you can recall?
The assassination of JFK. I was in kindergarten, age five. It was also my mother’s 35th birthday.
If you could spend a day in one city or place at one moment in history, what would that be?
The past, no matter how much we like to admire its simplicity and traditions, was not better than the present in any measurable way for women, people of colour or anyone on the gender spectrum. So I don’t spend any time longing for times gone by, where I might have been someone’s shoeshine boy, butler, indentured servant or slave.
What is your favourite quotation?
I have three, one of which is this from Horace Mann: “I beseech you to treasure up in your hearts these my parting words. Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”
If you were given £1m to spend on other people, what would you spend it on and why?
I’d give £50 per day to a random homeless person for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t miss the money, and the homeless person could buy something that may bring them needed dignity.
Which of your ancestors or relatives are you most proud of?
I’m not into ancestor worship of any kind. When I imagine what I’m capable of achieving, I don’t reference the professions of ancestors reported to me in a genealogy kit. Instead, I look to all humans who have ever lived. We are one family. We are one race, the human race.
Is the power of rational thinking underrated in our society?
It’s not only underrated, it’s absent. For it to be underrated, people would have to actively think about it enough to underrate it. I’m not sure most people think about it at all—how else to account for the senseless tribal conflicts that currently divide otherwise civilised peoples?
What does the world look like from a cosmic perspective?
The cosmic perspective is an antidote to runaway egos. The cosmic perspective offers ways to allocate our emotional and intellectual energies that reconcile with the biology, chemistry and physics of the known universe, thereby recasting some of the most debated and divisive topics of our times—war, politics, religion, truth, gender, race—as simply artificial battlefields on the landscape of life. The cosmic perspective fosters accountability and wisdom in the service of civilisation.
What have you changed your mind about?
I change my mind any time further evidence justifies doing so. That’s many times a week, because I’m always seeking evidence for things. I don’t “make up my mind” in the absence of any evidence, which would be a precarious posture to take.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I was captain of my high school wrestling team—and undefeated.
What is the last piece of music, play, novel or film that brought you to tears?
I cry easily, so this is a low bar for me. I don’t read many novels, but it’s certainly common for me to tear up during plays, films and even musicals, which I see with some frequency.
What do you most regret?
I don’t go through life regretting decisions. Instead, I collate life experience into a tapestry of wisdom. I am indeed wiser for being older. Not grumpier. Not ossified in my ways. Just wiser. And one of the greatest fuels for wisdom is figuring out how to do things differently next time, so what would otherwise be a regret instead becomes a learning moment. As such, with every resolved regret you become a better person.
“Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilisation” by Neil deGrasse Tyson is published by HarperCollins at £16.99
