I can’t get the video to embed properly, but the segment starts at 1:21:12 where Neil deGrasse Tyson describes why people seek understanding.
“There are two things people like. They like it when they understand something that they previously thought they couldn’t understand. It’s a sense of empowerment. By either the spoken or written word, so if you get better at writing with the intent of empowering a person’s ability to think, then people will come back to you to write some more. Whether or not you think you can become great at something, you can always become better at it.”
The point? Influence comes from communication.
The goal? Develop understanding in others so they can take control.