Neil deGrasse Tyson has responded thoughtfully and thoroughly to Terrence Howard's recent claims about him during an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast.
In his interview, Howard had characterized Tyson’s feedback on his math and physics paper as an "attack," a description Tyson firmly disputes. According to Tyson, his comments were not an attack but a standard academic critique, the kind he would offer any peer.
Tyson recounted that Howard had sent him a 36-page treatise nearly eight years ago, following their meeting at a TV network event. Howard’s paper aimed to "reinvent mathematics and physics." Tyson explained that he meticulously reviewed all 36 pages, providing detailed notes and feedback throughout, as he would for any colleague in his field.
"Out of respect for him, I thought I should give him my most informed critical analysis," Tyson said. "In my field, we call that a peer review." He elaborated that this process involves critically examining ideas to identify errors or misconceptions.
Tyson then discussed his specific critiques of Howard's treatise. He cited one example where Howard claimed, "it can never occur that the square root of a given number when added to itself is greater than the initial number squared." Tyson pointed out that this thesis was not grounded in fact. In his overall comments, Tyson described Howard’s work as "an ambitious effort indicating a restless, active mind" but noted that it was plagued by "assumptions and statements that are under-informed, misinformed, or simply false."
Tyson’s video serves to clarify his position and offer transparency about his engagement with Howard’s work, emphasizing that his intent was always respectful and rooted in academic rigor.
Comments