Critical Thinking Post #2 - Popular Science Today (COSMOS!)

    The tone of the new series "Cosmos" is one full of excitement and wonder towards science. This show doesn't make me feel any less important as a human being, but rather more interested when learning that we are one with life and how many things had to occur before it was possible for us to even exist. It makes me more aware of the scientific aspect of life and the universe. Some people may feel small because of how big the universe is, but it makes me feel more complete.

    The show, to me, doesn't "argue" for the value of humanity, but aims to push our minds towards a more realistic, less "human-as-the-center-of-creation" mindset. However, some can say that the show does, in a way, show humanism behind the main idea, because the show is from our perspective. We are the only life forms that we know of that can and do make these discoveries, understand them and interpret what they mean both in relation to us and not.

    I don't think that Americans would necessarily like a scientific show like the cosmos. For the most part, we should like it. The 30% of Americans who don't believe in the Theory of Evolution and others like them wouldn't like this type of show, however. There were even religious people creating tweets and other social media posts about the show. They said things like "Nice try, Cosmos" and "The truth is in the bible. Those who are not stubborn and consider other views besides their own may find the show appealing. The show explains science in a way that is easy and graphic. You are drawn in by the graphic effects and language used. There are many imagery effects including traveling through the Universe and beyond. There are really no scientific words used in the show, but simple words to describe complex phenomenon. Comparisons are also used to show a scale that regular people (Non-Scientists) are able to understand. This would be appealing to Americans, because, for the most part, we like simplicity and prefer it to learning the complex concepts with without simplification.

    I, personally, didn't learn much from the show. However, if I had watched it a month earlier, before taking up biology class in college, I would have learned quite a lot. I didn't quite know much about the Theory of Evolution, except simple ideas about it. I didn't know what it was in depth. The show does a good job to show how it happened, and it really shows most of its concepts in this simple manner. The visual effects really help to recognize what actually went on. The show also helps me review my biology lessons, which is always a plus!