Summary of Neil deGrasse Tyson & Avis Lang's Accessory to War

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Neil deGrasse Tyson & Avis Lang's Accessory to War in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: In this fascinating foray into the centuries-old relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and writer-researcher Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. "The overlap is strong, and the knowledge flows in both directions", say the authors, because astrophysicists and military planners care about many of the same things: multi-spectral detection, ranging, tracking, imaging, high ground, nuclear fusion, and access to space. Tyson and Lang call it a "curiously complicit" alliance.

"The universe is both the ultimate frontier and the highest of high grounds", they write. "Shared by both space scientists and space warriors, it's a laboratory for one and a battlefield for the other. The explorer wants to understand it; the soldier wants to dominate it. But without the right technology - which is more or less the same technology for both parties - nobody can get to it, operate in it, scrutinize it, dominate it, or use it to their advantage and someone else's disadvantage."

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638151968

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Summary

of

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s

Accessory to War

The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military

Table of Contents

Overview

Key Insights

Key Insight 1

Key Insight 2

Key Insight 3

Key Insight 4

Key Insight 5

Key Insight 6

Key Insight 7

Key Insight 8

Important People

Authors’ Style

Authors’ Perspective

Overview

Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military (2018) by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang is a meditation on the history of space research and its interdependence on military research and warfare. The narrative contextualizes discoveries such as the compass and adaptive optics in order to evaluate the present global state of space diplomacy.

The science of astrophysics emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. As astrophysics developed, warmakers and scientists focused on technology that could serve both of their aims, both military and civilian. During the decade following World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union developed space programs that combined military pursuits with scientific hubris. That powerful fusion reached an inflexion point in the summer of 1955, when the Soviet Union and United States both announced