<story><title>Stephen Hawking has died</title><url>http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43396008</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>nylonstrung</author><text>Neil Degrasse Tyson is clearly vying for the slot but seems to make science seem more elitist, more pedantic (read literally any of his tweets) and thus appears to miss the point entirely</text></item><item><author>mgolawala</author><text>I agree completely.&lt;p&gt;Who will take his place? Who will be the Stephen Hawking of my children&amp;#x27;s generation?&lt;p&gt;As a society we should work hard to find, celebrate and give a platform to the Stephen Hawking-s and the Carl Sagan-s of tomorrow. The impact of such &amp;quot;celebrity scientists&amp;quot; (I do not use that term pejoratively) is far greater than the measure of the work they have done. It is how they inspire an entire generation to seek out knowledge, understanding and fill us all with a sense of humility, awe and wonder.</text></item><item><author>joshumax</author><text>For a second I just couldn&amp;#x27;t believe this was real. Stephen Hawking was one of those people that inspired me towards a career in science, as well as a pursuit of discovering what mysteries of the universe I could uncover within my (cosmically short) lifetime. He did this not through some major life-altering speech I heard from him (although his talks and lectures were quite interesting), or through some grand quote that I read online, but rather through the fact that he carried with him the enthusiasm that comes with looking up, seeing a vast universe looming all around us, and finding that inner spirit--that inner sense of wonder--that drives us forward in an attempt to make sense of it all. Rest in peace Stephen Hawking; you will be missed.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Raidion</author><text>Tyson doesn&amp;#x27;t have the academic credentials that Hawking or someone like Richard Feynman does. The power of Hawking and Feynman is that they both were at the top of their fields, but took the time to make the foundations of their science accessible to the common man. Tyson has done great things, but he&amp;#x27;s not quite there.</text></comment>
<story><title>Stephen Hawking has died</title><url>http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43396008</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>nylonstrung</author><text>Neil Degrasse Tyson is clearly vying for the slot but seems to make science seem more elitist, more pedantic (read literally any of his tweets) and thus appears to miss the point entirely</text></item><item><author>mgolawala</author><text>I agree completely.&lt;p&gt;Who will take his place? Who will be the Stephen Hawking of my children&amp;#x27;s generation?&lt;p&gt;As a society we should work hard to find, celebrate and give a platform to the Stephen Hawking-s and the Carl Sagan-s of tomorrow. The impact of such &amp;quot;celebrity scientists&amp;quot; (I do not use that term pejoratively) is far greater than the measure of the work they have done. It is how they inspire an entire generation to seek out knowledge, understanding and fill us all with a sense of humility, awe and wonder.</text></item><item><author>joshumax</author><text>For a second I just couldn&amp;#x27;t believe this was real. Stephen Hawking was one of those people that inspired me towards a career in science, as well as a pursuit of discovering what mysteries of the universe I could uncover within my (cosmically short) lifetime. He did this not through some major life-altering speech I heard from him (although his talks and lectures were quite interesting), or through some grand quote that I read online, but rather through the fact that he carried with him the enthusiasm that comes with looking up, seeing a vast universe looming all around us, and finding that inner spirit--that inner sense of wonder--that drives us forward in an attempt to make sense of it all. Rest in peace Stephen Hawking; you will be missed.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>dragontamer</author><text>I think Neil Degrasse Tyson is overall net-positive, but I&amp;#x27;m definitely not liking his style.&lt;p&gt;Elitism is overall fine as long as it doesn&amp;#x27;t get in the way or make you look like an asshole. And unfortunately, Neil Degrasse Tyson seems to be leaning towards the &amp;quot;asshole elite&amp;quot;.&lt;p&gt;Still, he&amp;#x27;s a good speaker, there are tons of people who are inspired by his style. I think a kinder, gentler, less pedantic (exactly the right word) person needs to become the next &amp;quot;science champion&amp;quot;.&lt;p&gt;Stephen Hawking was a good balance of inspiration, and expertise. He was &amp;quot;elite&amp;quot; without quite being pedantic or asshole-ish.</text></comment>