Is The Universe Itself Conscious? (w/ Neil DeGrasse Tyson)

Is the universe conscious?

What is the metaphysical scale of the Universe? There are billions of galaxies and billions of starts in each one. They look to be joined by threads, a bit like connections in a bran.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson joined Thom to share his experience and his views on the galaxy vs the human brain.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson is an Astrophysicist & Director at Hayden Planetarium. Author of 17 books including his latest, Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going.

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[RedZeshinX]

Well sure, we're part of the universe and we're conscious. It's not like the universe magically ends where our skin begins, we're made up of the same elements and space time that make up the rest of the universe.

[fredwood]

Of course the Universe is aware of itself, we are that awareness, we and any other sentient race of beings, being aware in our own peculiar ways of what we can observe, both within and beyond ourselves. The very definition of awareness is key to this answer.

[Tom-olem]

So awesome Neil was on the show!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[rmc]

Neil is so knowledgeable, have followed him for many years. Thank you Tom for having him on your show.

[bobbucks]

NDT is such a patient teacher. He is asked similar questions over and over and rarely looks annoyed. Tom threw out some good questions.

[House_Husband_Romeo]

I have never clicked on a video so fast. Thanks for this Tom!

[imagem]

Doesn't Thom notice that Neil doesn't look well at all? I do hope he's okay. Maybe should have rescheduled. Poor guy.

[barquerojuancarlos]

The universe "looks like" a huge ganglia, just as Neil Bohr's conception of the atomic structure look like the solar system, it doesn't necessarily mean they function similarly

[patrowan]

Once again, Neil limits his speculations to the current paradigm, even though by definition Thom's question goes beyond that. Besides, Thom was asking about the universe as a brain, not a body.

[michellem]

Man Neil really looks under the weather. Nothing serious I hope

[mocki]

I'm with Thom on this one (and I've never done psychedelics!)! As above so below, as below so above, everything is connected ;-)

[ytco]

if the universe is conscious, it is not in the same way as our brain, and not in any way that would be meaningful to us

[patchadventures]

Isn’t it possible that time is relative to its space? Eg with gravity, we feel gravity more when we are on something that is spinning around very fast, because it’s small. Where as on the earth we don’t feel it like we do on the spinning amusement ride. Imagine time works like that, the being is bigger so time acts differently. What we persevered as hours, it would be seconds for the bigger being? Just a thought.

[tracesprite]

It reminds me of a poem by Judith Wright in which she talks about how "A million light years of starlight fall onto a sleepless bed." She, lying awake, receives photons of starlight which have travelled through millions of light years to arrive onto the retinas of her eyes.

[briandale]

Neal doesn’t look healthy. He should go get a thorough check up.

[jsmith]

It always amazed me, when we talk about the trillions of stars, planets, novae, etc that telescopes can see, how the telescope is not looking far away. The telescope sees what light touches our skin every time we step outside on a clear night.

[lundsweden]

Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the Carl Sagan of our generation. A great science populariser.

[lisanavarro]

OMG, he looks awful. I hope he's ok

[RussBn]

I got to the one minute mark when he had dissed him out of some sort of sense of superiority, and I simply couldn't watch him self-immolate any longer. I don't know who he is, but I do know who Tyson is.

[elainejohnson]

Neil doesn't look like he feels very well... Hope he is Ok!!!