Neil deGrasse Tyson slaps down 'science-deniers' like Mike Pence as 'threats to democracy'

In a 4-minute video for "Science in Democracy," astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson laid out the case against science-deniers who refuse to accept scientific consensus -- while taking a shot at Vice President Mike Pence who once argued on the House floor against the teaching of evolution as a fact.

“People have lost the ability to judge what is true and what is not, what is reliable, what is not reliable,” deGrass Tyson explained. “That’s not the country I remember growing up in. I don’t remember any other time where people were standing in denial of what science was.”

Sharing the clip of Pence as well as clips of anti-vaxxers attempting to make their case, the popular lecturer explained how the scientific method works, cautioning, "Science is not something to toy with."

“You can’t say, ‘I chose not to believe in E=mc2,’” deGrasse Tyson continued, using Albert Einstein's theory of relativity as an example. “You don’t have that option. It is true, whether or not you believe in it.”

"The sooner you understand that, the faster we can get on with the political conversations about how to solve the problems that face us,” he warned. "Recognize what science is, and allow to be what it can and should be: In the service of civilization."

Watch the video below via YouTube: