# Who is the greatest promoter of science in recent memory? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 26, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098 "2009-06-26T18:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SmashTheState](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@SmashTheState](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmashTheState)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/1 "2009-06-26T18:56:30Z")
There have been many scientists, philosophers, entertainers, and scoundrels who, over the last few decades, have taken up the gauntlet of promoting science, tantalizing people with the wonders of scientific endeavour and trying to waft away the ever-present miasma of religion and superstition. Who among them has done the most to promote science, by convincing children to become scientists or shining a light on our ignorance and convincing us it’s better to light a candle and _know_ than huddle in the darkness and pray? Is it Magnus Pike? Bill Nye the Science Guy? Mr. Wizard? Richard Dawkins? Karl Popper? Steven Pinker? Daniel Dennet? The Muppets? Gene Roddenberry? Isaac Asimov? Arthur C. Clarke? Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman? _Gene Ray_?! Remember, we’re not talking about contributions to science itself, but to the promotion of science as a philosophy. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/2 "2009-06-26T18:59:45Z")
I suppose it depends what you mean by ‘recent’… but I would nominate Carl Sagan at least as far as promoting astrophysics goes. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/3 "2009-06-26T19:24:44Z")
Carl Sagan, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/4 "2009-06-26T19:28:20Z")
Stephen Jay Gould or Carl Sagan. It’s tough to pick between those two. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/5 "2009-06-26T19:29:28Z")
Steven Hawking, in my mind at least. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/6 "2009-06-26T19:34:16Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Stephen Jay Gould or Carl Sagan. It’s tough to pick between those two. I prefer Gould’s writings, but he seemed to target people who already had a fair amount of interest in science. I’d say Sagan probably did far more outreach type stuff, is better known to the public, and so is the greater promoter. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/7 "2009-06-26T19:38:04Z")
> [@SmashTheState](#): > > Magnus Pike? At least on this side of the pond, he didn’t exactly blind anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/8 "2009-06-26T19:38:18Z")
[Zombie Feynman!](http://xkcd.com/397/) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/9 "2009-06-26T19:42:53Z")
I’ll go with Carl Sagan also. Having articles in **Parade** Magazine, and being on Johnny Carson, probably reached more people who needed reaching than all the books of the other people mentioned combined. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/10 "2009-06-26T19:45:24Z")
Rhoddenberry ---
**Author:** ![ashman165](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ashman165](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashman165)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/11 "2009-06-26T19:47:31Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Rhoddenberry Drats. I was going to go with that. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/12 "2009-06-26T19:53:53Z")
Alton Brown ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/13 "2009-06-26T19:57:39Z")
For someone currently active, I’d nominate [**Neil deGrasse Tyson**.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1183205/) Brian Greene (author of The Elegant Universe and host of the NOVA special) deserves mention also. Even if string theory doesn’t live up to the hype, that program does a good job of explaining the basics of modern physics for the lay person. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/14 "2009-06-26T19:59:41Z")
I think this belongs in In My Humble Opinion. I’ll move it there from General Questions. **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/15 "2009-06-26T20:02:38Z")
I think David Attenborough deserves a mention - natural history is still science, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/16 "2009-06-26T20:12:10Z")
Bill Nye the Science Guy! ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/17 "2009-06-26T20:46:58Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Bill Nye the Science Guy! Beat me to it, I was going to say Mr. Wizard. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/18 "2009-06-26T21:07:40Z")
Carl Sagan by a factor of billions and billions. ---
**Author:** ![jakesteele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@jakesteele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakesteele)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/19 "2009-06-26T21:15:28Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Carl Sagan by a factor of billions and billions. I would go with Carl Sagan. But I like Bill Nye because he made science understandable and accessible to the general public. But honorable mention would have to be Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov and Captain Kirk and Spock. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098/20 "2009-06-26T21:36:36Z")
For me, it’s either Sagan or Azimov. And I have to ask: **Muppets?** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-promoter-of-science-in-recent-memory/501098.md?page=2)