Bill Nye Saves Discourse

“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” This is a quote made in November 2012 by now President Donald Trump. This statement, in my opinion, shows a major flaw in the current status of our political discourse. Many in the political spotlight deny certain aspects and areas of science for their own political motives whether that be to get elected, gain money from certain donors, or appeal to a certain group for support. In the Netflix Original Series Bill Nye Saves the World, renowned scientist and educator, Bill Nye discusses a few of these key issues; pointing out the intersection between discourse, policy, and science. The in depth approach Nye takes to talking about these issues creates a platform to learn about how to have these complicated discussions.
One way I think Bill Nye Saves the World can teach people is through Nye’s ability to focus less on opinion and more on facts. Now I am not saying Nye is free of bias, or that his political views don’t seep through into the show, but Nye focuses on points backed by research, science, and experts. This is something that can be extended to all hard issues multiple parties must discuss. In difficult conversations focusing on supported information leads to more positive results. A surgeon who uses a method experimented, tried, improved, and backed by research and intense trials will be more successful than a surgeon who operates according to their own whims. This is especially applicable to politicians. Reliance on emotions and vague support will often create weaker and less effective policy than policy whose basis is in research and scientific study.
This being said, though, it has been proven in many studies that people are resistant to being told they are wrong, and that this can often lead to them rejecting facts and reaffirming their viewpoints. This leads to the second thing Bill Nye Save the World does well. Nye, on the show, focuses not on how opponents to his ideas are dead wrong, but instead approaches the issue in a more delicate way: focusing on common ground, misinformation, and then arriving at false conclusions and information. This process makes the individuals watching feel less attacked, and, at least, helps them to understand the viewpoint Nye is explaining. This is vitally important to critical discussion. This technique allows for civil conversation that may actually allow for individuals to emphasize with another viewpoint, opposed to objecting to it on the basis of not confirming biases.
Overall I think that Bill Nye Saves the World does many things that people and politicians can learn from. These include tips on having conversations with dissenting opinions, an important contemporary issue; policy creation; how to present media in an entertaining, light hearted manner,  and too many others to discuss in a 500 word blog post. That being said I greatly recommend the show even if Nye misses on a few issues, he still presents compelling arguments and a lot of valuable information. Even if it’s just useful at a trivia night.