Let the Science Shed Some Truth

The internet opens many avenues for the general population to thrive on--with the click of a button, almost any piece of information lies at the finger tips of those following their general sense of curiosity. It is without a doubt, that the internet has paved the way for many educational advancements, however, we must also consider the false and deceiving stories that dwell in the cracks and crevices of this vast network. I am of course talking about the average conspiracy theory rooted article your old friend from high school posts on his/her Facebook feed every night before he/she goes to bed.  Everyday we are exposed to articles filled with sophistries, which make us question everything from historical events to scientific concepts. A factor that exemplifies this issue is the social power celebrities and artists harbor on these social media sites. Adolescents and adults all over the world religiously follow their favorite stars, and pay great attention to the stories they spread—so what do we do when your idol publishes his or her uneducated theory about the world (think rapper B.o.B on how the earth is flat )? It is integral to understand that people are likely to mold themselves towards people who they identify with.

 Research states that about 50% of all Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory (NPR), and that generally those who believe in one theory will continue down the never ending tunnel of intellectual demise (NY Times). In these treacherous times, the general public needs a sense of reliability. We require an individual to lead us towards the truth, using logic, science, and cold hard evidence.

In a recent blog post, “The "Decline" of the Public Intellectual (?)”, by Stephen Mack, Mack states, “Any argument for the public intellectual that, like Donatich’s, rests the assumption that common citizens are forever childlike and must be led by a class of experts is politically corrosive and historically dangerous ”(Mack). Mack makes a valid point, no one really needs to be led by a class of experts, however as a growing society, we require those “experts” to come forth and shed truth on matters that would otherwise go unseen. In a world where everyone is given the opportunity to falsify information and spread it carelessly around the globe, we desperately need someone to steer us towards the truth. One man who has stepped forward in the past few years is none other than your favorite child hood scientist—Bill Nye.

Bill Nye has been simplifying scientific concepts for children and adults to understand since the early 90’s. He is a symbol for fun factual knowledge, and many of the young individuals today know just who he is. Let’s face it, when you saw the giant television being wheeled into class, you knew it was time to sit back and let Bill make sense of the scientific concepts you did not want to deal with. His presence in current media brings back a sense of nostalgia that really takes you back to your child hood days. Today Bill Nye is arguably one of the greatest public intellectuals because he has a great number of followers on all platforms of the media, he can communicate his ideas in a way that is easy to understand, and finally he tackles some of the most challenging environmental problems we face.  

There are many public intellectuals in todays day and age, but how many people really listen to them? With the help of social media and the internet—everyone is their own so called expert, mindlessly commenting and spreading their thoughts on stories they interpret. This is synonymous to people looking up their problems on web-MD and making decisions on their health based on articles online instead of visiting a medical professional. Knowledge, and the ability to formulate intellectual ideas are no longer the only prerequisites needed to prevail as a public intellectual, mostly because the internet serves as a database for people to become knowledgable in almost any topic. In today's day and age before someone can successfully become a public intellectual he or she must have the powers of social media on their side as well, to influence people who truly look up to them. 

One can only spread influence if he or she has a highly populated channel to spread their ideas and theories on. In other words people need to hear what you have to say. Bill has a leg up in a sense, because he has a voice that goes further than many others in his field, solely because of his history in education. He starred in over 100 episodes that appealed to both children and adults, and in each one of them he educated millions of people. When there is a discrepancy in science related topics such as climate change, concepts of space travel, and environmental disasters, news channels host Bill to simplify concepts. We look up to him to present us with cold hard scientific facts. Bill does not just mindlessly comment on the events that occur in our world, he makes logical conclusions, simplifies them, and presents them to people in a way that they can understand.  

Bill started his career on television after graduating from Cornell University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.  He first started working at Boeing but later decided he wanted to try something new. He had a passion for performing stand up comedy, writing for local comedy shows, and genuinely entertaining people(Bio). Bill believed that to truly teach someone something, you must entertain them (Bio). During his time working behind the scenes on a show, a last minute cancellation, gave way for Bill to enter the spotlight as he presented the household uses of liquid nitrogen. This marked the first time people were able to see Bill for who he was and they loved it. He is known to present material with a twist of comedy, which always leaves the crowd entertained.

Bill is not just another know it all scientist. He uses his passion for science and comedy to grasp the audiences he targets.  This is one of the reasons why Bill is praised so much by the public. When we listen to him, it is because he presents his knowledge in a humble and practical way. Intellectual ideas do not cast much influence if the listeners do not understand the underlying principles that are being presented to them. Being able to communicate a thought is an integral part of the scientific community that Bill has mastered, allowing him to appeal to groups of people with varying levels of literacy. This is also a trait that all public intellectuals must have, because we look to them for answers. If we can not understand the concepts being explained, how can we move forward?

One idea Bill Nye spends a great deal trying to communicate is the theory of evolution. Evolution is a basic scientific concept that is highly controversial. Many believe that evolution should not be taught to younger generations in schools, however Bill strongly disagrees. Bill stated, “For me, evolution — it’s important to understand like all of science — it affects you. It affects each of us” (NY Times). Bill truly believes the science of evolution is important for everyone to understand, and he goes out of his way to fight for the integration of complete science programs in schools.

 Teaching evolution in schools is somewhat controversial because most believe that it is almost like shoving a new form of religion down a child’s throat. However, this is not the case, society should be well aware of evolution and its implications to everyday life and scientific advancements. Just because we teach children mathematical concepts does not mean we are implying they be mathematicians. Some concepts just need to be presented to the public so that individuals can live a more intellectual lifestyle. 

 In his book, “Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation”, Bill critiques the ideas of creationist, who believe the world is only 6000 years old. Bill started to write the book after he had a debate against Ken Ham (president of the creation museum). The debate received a great deal of media coverage, with over 500 thousand views online. The result of the debate had no clear winner, and Bill believed writing the book would help push society to understand the role evolution and science play in todays society (NY Times). This just sows another case where Bill has taken time out of his day to day life for the better of the people. He truly wants people to understand the basis of evolution, so that they can make more informed decisions when it comes to buying genetically modified foods, or believing in the latest conspiracy theory about the Zika virus (link).

It is integral for our society to understand the basic principles of science, and Bill does his best to relay as much information as he can. Take for example the huge amount of controversy stemming from the anti vaccine advocates. It is hard to believe that in such a technologically advanced society, we still have individuals who believe that vaccines are detrimental to their health. It is a basic disease prevention tool that has been saving lives since they have been invented, yet still people believe they are a danger to children. If our society understood basic scientific principles, we would never have this problem to begin with. This is why scientist like Bill play such an integral role in our lives. Bill does his best to spread factual information that may educate the public to make educated choices in their lives.

Bill also does his best to shed light on one of the most worrisome environmental problems we face today—and that is climate change. He has dedicated a large sum of his life fighting for people to understand the effects of climate change, and how people can do their part in preventing damage to the earth. Scientist agree that there has been a general rise in temperature within the last couple of years(EPA). Bill states in an interview, “The problem is the speed at which things are changing.  We are inducing a sixth mass extinction event kind of by accident and we don't want to be the extinctee…”(Youtube), this really points out how big of a problem climate change really is. He also empowers younger generations to take steps in making a difference. At a recent graduation speech at Rutgers University Bill said, "Just think what else is out there, what other physical or biological phenomenon is just waiting to be discovered, or invented, or thought of. You all can do this. You all can be the Next Great Generation. You can, dare I say it, Change the World”. Society needs someone who believes in the younger generations to make changes.

      Bill even wrote another book called, “Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World”, where he tackles the problem of climate change by expressing how much power lies in the hands of todays society to make a difference. In an interview Bill stated that he believes that if he keeps informing society about how climate change really works on a scientific level, he can help convert some of the deniers ( National Geographic ). Bill is dedicated in every sense possible to make a change by educating the masses, and he has the power to do so because of the high public platform he is on.

            As the CEO of The Planetary Society, Bill also supports the exploration of space. In 2013 Bill wrote an open letter President Obama asking for a 1.5 billion dollars to support planetary exploration. He believed that this would lead to three things: the discovery of alien life, the rise of technological advancements, and finally it would inspire adolescents to follow careers in the sciences. Bill understands that exploring space and advancing the current space program will lead to all types of benefits for our country.

            Some may argue that Bill is not really fit to be considered a true public intellectual. An example would be Milo Yiannopoulos, who recently wrote in his blog,” After a career in aerospace, where he admirably made things and improved the world by enabling jet travel — well before his pearl-clutching carbon panic phase — Nye was introduced to the world of sketch comedy. Ironically, while his acting is pretty good, it was his science that would become the big joke”. It seems people like to label Bill as just a scientist who should stick to comedy, yet this ignores the fact that Bill purposefully uses tools like comedy to captivate his audience.

                  Bill Nye is someone almost all generations look up to. He is an example of a celebrity figure who uses his powers for the greater good of the people. This is such an important concept to think about when we realize how many issues our society will run into when people make false claims online. We need more people like Bill Nye to step up and take initiative when the public is misunderstanding scientific findings (GMO’s being detrimental, dangers of the vaccine, etc.), and to genuinely educate them on scientific findings that can change their lives. 

      Bill Nye truly is someone our society can rely on as a public intellectual. He has again and again used his publicity to help further develop and protect the people of our society. His presence in the media embeds a feeling of optimism in the youth, which provokes them to make changes for the future of the world and its people. Finally, I believe he holds the key traits that are needed for a public individual to speak positive influence. It is true that we do not require Bill Nye to lead our every day thoughts, but his inputs on the changes we need to make to keep the world alive in the future are important to listen to. The ability he has to communicate his thoughts go a long way when it comes to making a difference in the way a society lives their day to day lives. Bill Nye not only tackles the greatest problems that lie in our future, he also does his best to spread awareness about current conflicts as well. Our society relies on public intellectuals to influence individuals of our society, and Bill Nye does just that.  
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