#1658 - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson (0:16)

Oh yeah.

Joe Rogan (0:17)

How much time do you spend looking at random leaves on television shows to recognize that it's a fake pattern, not created by the wind?

Neil deGrasse Tyson (0:26)

No, I just, you know, you look at scenes from Walking Dead and they enter this deserted town, as so many towns are when zombies take over, and the leaves, you know, the autumn leaves are evenly spread in the streets and the sidewalks. And I'm thinking, some set designer did that, thinking that this is what leaves do in the breeze. But that's not what they do, they collect, they circulate. They're like eddies in the air currents that'll collect them in one place and not the other.

So we think if something's random, that it's evenly spread.

But in fact, there are many more collected elements in something that's random than we typically think. So I'm looking at your new ceiling here in Austin, Texas, and your star is beautiful, by the way. Nice digs you got here. But the stars, the lights, are kinda evenly spread on the sky.

Joe Rogan (1:24)

Yeah, they don't look real.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1:25)

So that's how, and plus, you know, you could have thrown at least a constellation up there or something.

Joe Rogan (1:29)

You know what I should do? I should get someone to make me one and make one and just imitate the Milky Way.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1:35)

That'd be beautiful.

That'd be beautiful. And I'll be happy to certify it.

Joe Rogan (1:42)

You give me a call, I'm all in. I don't think you will certify it. I think it will be a real problem. I think it'll be a genuine issue.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1:50)

So how you doing, Joe?

Joe Rogan (1:51)

I'm doing good. How you doing?

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1:52)

You know, I used to, Austin is an old haunt of mine.

Joe Rogan (1:57)

Is it?

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1:57)

Yeah, I met my wife here. I got my masters at UT Austin. My wife got her PhD in mathematical physics there, and I finished my PhD in Columbia, New York City, but we spent six years here, long ago.

Joe Rogan (2:11)

I love it here.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (2:12)

We were here when Austin, Texas had six gates at the airport.

And there was never more than one other car in front of you at a red light. Just picture that.

Joe Rogan (2:23)

A lot of folks remember that, apparently, and they're very upset.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (2:26)

I would be totally pissed off.

Joe Rogan (2:28)

The traffic here is still adorable.

It's ridiculous, cute traffic, and the people are so nice. It's just a completely different vibe.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (2:39)

Yeah, so I miss you, man. So good to see you still at it.

Joe Rogan (2:43)

I'm still at it.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (2:44)

I'm still doing the thing, and I thought, I saw a few of your shows, and I said, we can bring some deep philosophical thought back, because I know that's a big part of you, right?

Joe Rogan (2:55)

Occasionally.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (2:56)

No, it's in you. It's in you.

Joe Rogan (2:58)

When I'm talking to the right people.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (2:59)

Oh, okay.

Joe Rogan (2:59)

Yeah, like you. Yeah, it comes out.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (3:02)

It comes out, good. Then it's in you to come out, that's all.

Joe Rogan (3:05)

I've been wanting to talk to you quite a bit.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (3:07)

What do you got?

Joe Rogan (3:08)

Well, all these UFO disclosures. Yeah. You're like one of the first guys that I wanna talk to because you always have a skeptical, inquisitive perspective on these things. You're not necessarily dismissive.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (3:19)

Right, right.

Joe Rogan (3:20)

But you're not willing to just adopt this narrative that we're being visited by UFOs from another planet.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (3:25)

Yeah, so it's, by the way, let's start with the military.

Joe Rogan (3:31)

Yes.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (3:32)

If there are glowing lights in the sky and we don't know what it is, they damn sure better look into it.

We give them folks $700 billion. Make some percentage of that budget to check out the possible threat of things we don't understand.

Joe Rogan (3:47)

I used to think that was a lot of money until I found out that Los Angeles spent a billion dollars on the homeless every year. Their budget for the homeless is a billion.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (3:55)

They got a homeless budget, okay.

Joe Rogan (3:57)

A billion, and they're not doing shit.