JERICO T.

MANALO BSAIS 2A

The Collision of Two Great Minds: Is it Better to Know or Not?

(Reaction Paper)

Factually speaking, I watched the interview between Stephen Colbert and Neil deGrasse
Tyson noncontinuous+, dividing it into three parts. I have a lot of free time last weekend but my
eagerness to view it with one chair isn't really there. Watching one or two episodes of a Korean
web series is inevitable for me not to do while I am in the middle of their talk. Yet, that
happening doesn't change my perception that the more than an hour conversation was truly
spectacularly mind-blowing.

I was impressed because they have personalities that I, personally, want to accompany
with ─ funny and witty. From the beginning up to the end of the interview, they staged
commentary that will surely penetrate and be stuck in one's mind. Colbert was very good at
formulating questions and making jokes in air effortlessly which makes the grill between them
smoked and creates flavorsome smell. Likewise, the man on his side named Tyson exerted
expertise which makes the spectators and listeners clap and scream like avid fans.

But who would blame them? Even I, who is watching them on screen, was fascinating by
his responses. I totally agree with him across-the-board when he said that it is better to know
something because simply, it's true. Having a vast knowledge makes a person so powerful to me.
Aside from love that cannot be concretely defined by science, the ideas coming from the brain
are gifts that should be valued. As what he said, it empowers us to react and possibly even to do
something about it if something about it needs to be done.

I'm speechless, until I heard his next reply saying, "I don't want to blame the knowledge.
I want to blame the behavior of people in the presence of the knowledge so maybe we need
better knowledge management." Absolutely! It is our own actions that makes knowledge evil
sometimes. That's why, we better not cross the boundaries that may harm others and ourselves
through proper management.

One more thing I like about their cute little conversation is the perception of beauty. As a
long lost child of Albert Einstein, my face was glued with smile when he revealed that the one he
sees as beautiful in science is the equation E = mc2. I've never heard someone who said that
equations are beautiful but rather they treat them as burden in their lives not until I've heard Dr.
Tyson. The fact that it is known by many like the trademark of "coke" is exceptionally beautiful
even though they might not know what it really means or how it affects us. Same as to the pi (not
the food, but the mathematical symbol) and the atoms and molecules in our body which he used
as examples.

After that, Colbert and Tyson went to the peek that almost of their words are highfalutin,
literally runs my brain with lot of questions but at the same time, it strikes me with a thought that
it was still awesome. Maybe because, the ambiance isn't that much heavy not just like the topic
itself and it was still filled with laughter that stabilizes the mood.

Then, there it goes. My stomach was in pain again when the science expert bashes the
movie of all time entitled "Titanic." He reasoned out that the movie has an error that he relates to
science and that is, the female main character Kate Winslet is looking on the wrong sky. You may
think it is nonsense but for me, I agree to Dr. Tyson. The role of science in movies or in any
entertainment show must not be incorrect. People have this internal issue that targets their sense
of sight which eventually enter their mind. They might stress out that this thing is right because
he/she saw it with his/her own eyes. The old and cliché notion “to see is to believe.”

The interview really revolved on science, particularly the universe. Then the use of
technology was also partially tackled in the interview with the audience which part I also
enjoyed. I learned more about the secret of the universe up to the black hole, asteroids and and
even parallel universe. Then on how it directly and indirectly affects the society and me as an
individual. Indeed, this video of two of the most perfect match personalities is a must-watch.

You doesn't need to be pond of science or the universe just to understand it. You doesn't
need to be intelligent to absorb what they want to instill in our minds. Only your ears, curiosity
and willingness are needed to really appreciate the talk. More so, the way you watch it, whether
continuous or by parts, I think it's still the same. So as parting words, I will end this reaction
paper with a haiku just like what Dr. Tyson did in the end of his interview:

"You may not all know

What you should about to know
'Til your mind says so."