Neil Degrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication MasterClass Review: Is It Worth It?
Neil Degrasse Tyson is a legend, known for his deep thinking and work with deeply complex astrophysical topics. He has a way of teaching others that are far out of the field of natural sciences topics, theories, and themes, helping everyone to expand their mind and their knowledge a little.
In his MasterClass, learners will get a look at what it takes to start thinking deeper and how to communicate complex ideas more clearly. You’ll get a look at how Tyson captures an audience, leaving them curious and itching for more information about the world around them. In this review, we’ll look at the course and the content, helping you decide if it is the class you’re looking for.
Why Learn from Neil Degrasse Tyson?
Degrasse is an astrophysicist, known for his curious ways of looking at the world. He has the ability to share his ideas in anentertaining and captivating way, one that tends to capture the attention of his audience. Astrophysics is not an easy topic, with some of the themes difficult to grasp Degrasse takes this difficult to understand matter into his own hands, breaking it down into terms and examples that anyone can understand.
Degrasse is in charge of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space and, in his free time, runs a successful podcast to discuss unknown ideas in the universe and space. One of his top themes and topics that he supports is the word he attempts to spread the idea of combining sciences with other things to make them function better. His goal is to use science to understand the world around us, creating a better way to live and function as we make our way into the unknown future.
Who Is This MasterClass For?
Neil Degrasse Tyson’s MasterClass is perfect for anyone that wants to take their thinking skills to a deeper level. There are not many technical topics, making it easy to wrap your head around plus, you get to learn from Neil himself. He takes learners on a journey to a deeper and more complex way of thinking that helps them see the world differently. This MasterClass is not just for curious beings and science brainiacs but, for anyone that is curious to discover a better way of thinking.
Neil Degrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication MasterClass Lessons
The MasterClass comes with 13 lessons in total, all around 12 to 15 minutes per lesson. Included in the MasterClass are things to help you open your mind, with Neil encouraging learners to stop and let their mind work and attempt to think deeply. A few of the topics that Neil Introduces in this MasterClass include:
Data and Theories: How They Fuse
One huge part of science are theories, which attempt to put into words certain ideas. These ideas come to life thanks to data, collected through scientific experiments. When scientists and deep thinkers come up with these complex ideas, they normally start by analyzing data and brainstorming ideas that support results. A lot of scientific ideas are more like trial and error, taking deep thinking, ideas, and experiments to support the data and the ideas that the hypothesis proposes. You’ll see how Degrasse develops ideas by asking deep and complex questions-something that every deep thinker and scientist use almost daily.
Keep Digging Until Things Line Up
One beautiful yet frustrating thing in science is the fact that nothing is 100% true. When it comes to things that don’t add up, you have to learn to keep digging and asking questions until things start to become clearer. Neil hits on the fact that self-doubt or doubt of the ideas of others is ok, helping you to get closer to the truth. You’ll see how to take a step back and return to the drawing board, re-evaluating everything.
Always Be Skeptical
Just because an expert says that something is true doesn’t mean it is. Neil has been known to be a skeptic of accepted theories, always finding holes in the story that don’t add up. The more questions you ask, the more you’ll understand-becoming clearer on all topics and more grounded in your ideas. This takes confidence and a lot of patience, as you seek the truth and attempt to discover something that others might not support. Sometimes, you may be frowned upon when challenging the ideas of others, something that Neil makes sure to pump learners up about.
Working with Bias: Both with Yourself and Others
One thing about human beings is that we are complex thinkers by nature. This also comes with a part of the brain that is subject to bias, whether it comes from cognitive or confirmational bias. We are all biased at times, some of it having to do with the way that we process and analyze the data and things that we see, hear, and read. One key thing that Neil speaks about here is the ability to tell yourself that you are wrong, admit your mistakes, and able to put your ego aside. Most scientists think that this is easy but, if you’re convinced, you’re right, it can be difficult to admit your faults.
Learn to Take Things with a Grain of Salt
There are some topics in this world that you have to take lightly. These include controversial things like politics, cultural beliefs, and more. The thing about these topics is that people come from different backgrounds and different belief systems, seeing the world in a different way than others. In science, these systematic beliefs need to be left aside as much as possible, allowing you to think freely apart from the themes and ideas of others influencing you. One truly powerful area is politics, something that Neil is a known advocate for. He speaks about this idea and the fact that we should take what politicians and other officials say with a grain of salt, looking through all of the talks and letting the truth speak louder.
Communicating Difficult Topics
Among the many things that Neil is good at, one of them includes communicating difficult and complex messages to others. Neil speaks about his tricks of clear and concise communication, able to make the most difficult topics both interesting and easy to understand. One of his key tricks is to think about your audience, using what you known about the majority demographically to help you convey your message.
Let Writing Do the Talking
When it comes to talking about and teaching difficult topics, Degrasse uses the help from the written word. Taking help from slides or PDFs that compliment his message, he is able to make some of the most difficult topics understandable. Neil is also highly active on social media, always actively speaking to people and openly communicating with others. Conveying a message that is understandable to an entire audience can be challenging-taking a mix of methods to effectively communicate and teach.
Communication 101
This is possibly the most useful part of the course, where Neil speaks about some of the best communication tactics around today. He includes ideas like how to use humor and creating an energetic talk that will ignite your entire audience. Most of these tactics introduced in this part of the course can be used in other ways, including communicating more effectively and clearly with a set audience. At the end of a talk, Neil also believes strongly in the idea of reflecting on your delivery, looking at how you can improve for the next time, or make your speech more effective. These are skills that you can use in both works and in personal life, helping you to get your message across and become a more effective speaker and teacher.
Creating Curiosity for your Audience
Much of what Neil does is communicate with others in an attempt to change the way that they see the world around them. One of the top ways that he does this is by hitting them with lots of information and leaving them with a big question to brainstorm or think of at the end. When an audience watches Degrasse, they are usually struck by his demeanor, as he takes them on a journey of learning and understanding. Neil wants to encourage people to use more of their brains, thinking things through and analyzing critically. One of the best ways to do that is to leave the audience curious and craving for more, sending them on their way to thinking about bigger and broader ideas.
Neil Degrasse Tyson’s MasterClass Cost
Neil’s MasterClass comes with over 3 hours of video content plus a workbook that helps you keep track of all of the concepts that are introduced in the class. For one-on-one lessons from Tyson himself, the price comes to $90. This is much less than anyone would pay for this type of instruction, with most lectures and lessons from experts in the field coming out to more than this entire MasterClass.
If you’re curious about more than just Neil’s class and his topic of scientific thinking, MasterClass has a ton of topics to choose from, including cooking, acting, and even writing. You can learn from famous names like Gordon Ramsey, Margaret Atwood, and Natalie Portman, each one introducing you to their craft. If you’re a curious being and always want to learn more, you can take the MasterClass deal and get access to all courses they have to offer for only $180. A killer deal for all of the MasterClasses and topics that are available with the all-access pass.
Learner’s Perspective
Neil Degrasse has a lot of fans and followers. His curious way of thinking and perspective on dynamic themes in physics and natural sciences has caught the attention of people around the world. As far as his MasterClass, reviews across the web are mostly positive, praising the class for its in-depth and captivating content-delivered by Degrasse with perfection. Here is what a few learners across the web had to say about the class.
“He does speak in an entertaining way, knows how to create curiosity – for the general public, not for a person aspiring to be a scientist.I would recommend this Masterclass to someone who wants to be some form of a Pop Scientist/Media person and wishes to see how they can communicate with a broad audience and the general public.” – Matthew P.
“With this Masterclass lesson, experienced scientific thinkers can refresh their knowledge while beginners and curious learners can acquire the skills needed to start their careers in the right direction. DeGrasse’s lessons will empower students to identify and look past their personal biases so that they can be objective in their search for truth.” – Trevor T.
“if you have already spent many years in astrophysics or any other branch of science, for that matter, the content offered by Degrasse may not necessarily be new to you. The lessons are more suited for curious beginners or students in other fields that want to perfect their critical reasoning skills. In any case, whether you are a novice or an experienced professional, you will still find Degrasse’s lessons entertaining and captivating.” – Peter C.
Final Verdict: Is it Worth It?
If you’re a thinker and would like to learn more about how to take your thoughts to a deeper and more complex level, then this MasterClass is for you. Coming in at just $90, you get to hear the way that the master of complex communication, Neil Degrasse Tyson, gets it done.
You’ll leave this class with both curiosity and a new way of looking at life, attempting to expand the walls of their brain and take concepts to a whole new level. You don’t have to be a fan of Tyson or science, leaving with a lot of new things to brainstorm when you walk away. Besides the content, watching Tyson is interesting and engaging, making every second of the class enjoyable from start to finish.
