The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

Breaking News
  • February 27Mysterious burning smell permeates campus; cause under investigation
  • December 17Acting Chancellor Smith named new permanent SDCCD chancellor
  • December 17Women's Volleyball claims state title

The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

Bill Nye found appreciation for philosophy

Bill+Nye%2C+science+educator+and+TV+personality%2C+signs+autographs+at+Book+People+on+March+12%2C+2017.+%28Tamir+Kalifa%2FAustin+American-Statesman%2FTNS%29
Bill Nye, science educator and TV personality, signs autographs at Book People on March 12, 2017. (Tamir Kalifa/Austin American-Statesman/TNS)

Last year Bill Nye made some unfortunate comments when asked a question about philosophy. The question posed to Nye, on “big think,” came from a college student who asked:

“I’m a philosophy major in college right now and I’m looking for your opinion on the subject. Some of the scientists like Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson have brushed it off as a meaningless topic.”

What happened next was unexpected of the famous science educator. Nye, replied with a series of comments and arguments that explicitly demonstrated his lack of philosophical understanding— and it was far from subtle.

His main explanation about what philosophy is concerned with was:

Story continues below advertisement

“It often gets back to this question: What is the nature of consciousness? Can we know that we know? Are we aware that we’re aware? Are we not aware that we’re aware? Is reality real? Or is reality not real and we’re all living on a ping pong ball that’s part of a giant interplanetary ping pong game that we cannot sense? These are interesting questions.”

Here, Nye is conflating metaphysics and epistemology, which are two very different branches of philosophy. Olivia Hill, points out, in her Quarts article, that he is appealing to the stereotype that philosophers are preoccupied with asking themselves deep, meaningless, and unknowable questions “plucking an answer out of thin air, and then drinking some pinot noir and writing a florid essay.”

In the video, Nye goes on to say, “The idea that reality is not real, that what you sense and feel is not authentic, is something I’m very skeptical of.” He then instructs the student to drop a hammer on his foot a couple times to confirm reality, “Drop the hammer on your foot and see if you don’t notice it.” This particular statement has its own fallacy dedicated to it— argumentum ad lapidem, or appeal to a stone.

That’s not all, Nye had also mentioned René Descartes and his famous quote, “I think, therefore I am.” To which Nye followed up with “What if you don’t think about it, do you not exist anymore? You probably still exist even if you’re not thinking about existence.”

This is a misrepresentation of what Descartes was talking about. He was trying to answer the question, what can we know. Descartes was asserting that he exists, and that he knows he exists because he is thinking. He is declaring that his own existence is a knowable thing, confirmed by his thoughts. Not that, existence is contingent on thinking about it. There were plenty more misinformed comments, however that has all changed, according to Nye.

Nye, has had a complete change of heart which he credits to Hill’s Quarts article, “Why are so many smart people such idiots about philosophy?”  In a follow up article written last month, Hill says Nye told her over the phone, “Thank you for writing that critical article, It really led to something.”

It turns out, Nye had a complete change of mind since his previous statements on “big think.” Nye went on to tell her that after he reevaluated his position and started reading philosophy, he “couldn’t sleep for months,” and is planning on incorporating philosophy into his Netflix show as well as his upcoming book, according to Hill.

After reading her article, Nye said he met with a philosophy professor and reread his book until he wore it out, requiring him to get a second copy. He also came to understand the nature of philosophy, according to Hill, “He said he was struck by the argument that a ‘justified true belief’ constitutes factual knowledge” He then went on to say, “What used to be called a ‘natural philosopher’ is now called a scientist.”

Nye has also come to some understanding about philosophical figures and told Hill, “People allude to Socrates and Plato and Aristotle all the time, and I think many of us who make those references don’t have a solid grounding,” he said. “It’s good to know the history of philosophy.”

Now, Nye is all about that life, saying “I’ve come late to this, now I’m all about the philosophy. Bring it on.”

 

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Mesa Press
$270
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of San Diego Mesa College. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributor
Tremaine Harvey, Opinion Editor
Hello, my name is Tremaine. I have been a student at San Diego Mesa College since 2014 and briefly in 2010. I’m studying journalism, history, and philosophy and graduating in the spring of 2017. During the academic year of 2014-2015 I made the Dean’s Honor list and in the spring of 2016 I won third place for a creative nonfiction piece I wrote called “A Dancer’s Journey.” The story was published in Mesa Visions Art and Literary Magazine 2016. I’m hoping to write some good stories for the Mesa Press and learn as much as I can as a student journalist.
Donate to The Mesa Press
$270
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

Here at The Mesa Press, we want to foster a community for civil discussions. We welcome your insight and perspective. Comments posted must be appropriate for all ages. Any profanity or cursing is prohibited. That includes any attempts to curse with special characters (!@#) or spacing. Discuss and criticize ideas. We don’t allow comments that intend to intimidate, demean or harass other readers in any way.
All The Mesa Press Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *