Figured this would fit in more here than in PD or OT.

From Livescience.com:

Quote:

Survey: 61 Percent Agree with Evolution Americans would rather hear about evolution from scientists than from judges or celebrities, according to a new survey that finds a majority agree that evolution is at work among living things. A coalition of 17 organizations reacted today to the survey by calling on the scientific community to become more involved in promoting evolution and other aspects of science education. The coalition, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Institute of Physics and the National Science Teachers Association, released this statement: "The introduction of 'non-science,' such as creationism and intelligent design, into science education will undermine the fundamentals of science education. Some of these fundamentals include using the scientific method, understanding how to reach scientific consensus, and distinguishing between scientific and nonscientific explanations of natural phenomena." Irony of reason The statement was included in an article in the January 2008 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology's FASEB Journal. "In an age when people have benefited so greatly from science and reason, it is ironic that some still reject the tools that have afforded them the privilege to reject them," says Dr. Gerald Weissmann, the journal's editor-in-chief. The article is based on a new national survey of 1,000 likely U.S. voters. Respondents favored teaching evolution over creationism or intelligent design. Respondents also were more interested in hearing about evolution from scientists, science teachers and clergy than from Supreme Court Justices, celebrities or school board members. A key finding from the survey: There is a relationship between people's understanding of science and their support for teaching evolution. Respondents were asked three science questions: one related to plate tectonics, one related to the proper use of antibiotics and one related to prehistory. Those who accurately answered questions on these subjects were far more likely to support the teaching of evolution in schools. Skewed answers The report points out that Americans' views on evolution vary depending on how questions are asked. In a previous Gallup poll, people were asked to choose whether humans developed over millions of years, with or without guidance from God (as in one Gallup poll question). More selected evolution with guidance (38 percent) than without guidance (13 percent). But in a previous Pew Research Center poll, respondents were first asked, without reference to a supreme being, if they thought humans evolved or were created in their present form. Those who accepted evolution were then asked if they thought it occurred through natural processes or with guidance. When asked this way, 18 percent reported that evolution occurred with guidance, and 25 percent accepted that it occurred through natural selection. The new poll In the new FASEB poll, researchers asked half of the respondents about their views on the evolution of "all living things" and found that 61 percent accepted that "all living things have evolved over time." Of those, 36 percent thought all living things "evolved due to natural processes such as natural selection," and 25 percent thought "a supreme being guided the evolution of living things for the purpose of creating life in the form it exists today." The researchers asked the remaining respondents to consider human evolution and found that 53 percent accepted that "humans and other living things" evolved. This majority included 32 percent who accepted that humans and other living things evolved through natural processes and 21 percent who thought they had evolved with guidance. Scientists accept evolution as the best and only theory that accurately explains how humans and other species came to be so diverse. The theory is supported by many studies in many different fields of science. Intelligent design is a thinly veiled creationist argument designed to make the public doubt the theory of evolution, according to nearly all scientists and a 2005 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones III in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District. "The bottom line is that the world is round, humans evolved from an extinct species and Elvis is dead," Weissmann said. "This survey is a wake-up call for anyone who supports teaching information based on evidence rather than speculation or hope; people want to hear the truth, and they want to hear it from scientists."

Somewhat encouraging. We still need better and more science education and less government interference/censorship in the processes and results, but it may be looking up....

I can live with a 10% margin.

growing up, I had assumed there were no ignorant people left in the world. I had those delusions shattered late in HS (I grew up in a pretty well informed community I guess). The first was racsim (I saw a kid with a confederate flag on his book bag, and I told him he looked stupid, and then I was informed by someone else that he was a really big racist).

The second was when I learned that creationist supporters still existed. I was absolutely shocked, it was someone that I almost considered a friend (he had his 16th birthday party at oddesy fun world, think chuck e cheese except bigger, needless to say he was a bit "nurchered" as a lad) told me he didn't believe in evolution. I was dumbfounded for almost 2 days, and I was more shocked when I found there were more of them around.

Oh, those blissful days when I thought the informed masses had already swept the world...


mind you, if you are a creationist, I have no problem with it. It is when you argue that science backs you up that you cross a line, and creationism has no place in schools

Quote:

Oh, those blissful days when I thought the informed masses had already swept the world...

I know the feeling.
I had a similar moment in high school.
At the beginning of one school year, in history class (of all places) we were discussing the origins of man (in order to get to pre-/ancient history) and a friend of mine blurted out "I am not a monkey, and I am not descended from monkeys."
I was rendered speechless and probably looked at her like she'd just beamed in from Andromeda or something.

Oddly, the topic was never brought up in my biology class....


Anyone who doesn't believe that we're nothing but monkeys with big brains should watch a nature documentary and then go to a bar on Friday night. Same behaviors.

I like to think myself more than a monkey. Humans are different from animals, IMOH.

think of it this way: humans have made themselves artificial. it is like saying a car is made of natural elements; sure, all the parts originally came from the earth, but they were processed and formed into something totally different. Human consiousness is the same way, we started out as animals, but we are unique among creatures to be able to pass knowlege on, so we don't have to start from scratch at every generation

Quote:

we are unique among creatures to be able to pass knowlege on

All animals can pass knowledge on to their offspring.
Chimps have to be taught how to use a peice of grass to fish for termites, sea otters have to be taught to use a rock to break open a clam, and orcas have to be taught how to hunt seals in shallow waters.
All animals have to be taught certain things, and once they know them have the ability to pass that along to their offspring.


And we certainly aren't too high above it all not to be knocked on our ass by Big Mama Earth.

yes, but they have not taught each other algebra, how to mix concrete, or architecture. it is that kind of building on knowledge I am talking about, not just the use of simple tools to get a bit of extra food

Self-determination.

Being able to look at the crazy family/school/town and think
"That's crazy. No; thank-you".

(at least.. I think with semi-colons)

The government should be executing anyone that answers "no, I don't believe in evolution". Throw a little bleach in the gene pool, do you know what I mean?

D-503 wrote:

do you know what I mean?

If I do, do I I get to live?

D-503 wrote:

do you know what I mean?

If I do, do I I get to live?

_aegisknight wrote:

I can live with a 10% margin. growing up, I had assumed there were no ignorant people left in the world. I had those delusions shattered late in HS (I grew up in a pretty well informed community I guess). The first was racsim (I saw a kid with a confederate flag on his book bag, and I told him he looked stupid, and then I was informed by someone else that he was a really big racist). The second was when I learned that creationist supporters still existed. I was absolutely shocked, it was someone that I almost considered a friend (he had his 16th birthday party at oddesy fun world, think chuck e cheese except bigger, needless to say he was a bit "nurchered" as a lad) told me he didn't believe in evolution. I was dumbfounded for almost 2 days, and I was more shocked when I found there were more of them around. Oh, those blissful days when I thought the informed masses had already swept the world... mind you, if you are a creationist, I have no problem with it. It is when you argue that science backs you up that you cross a line, and creationism has no place in schools

Now see, that last bit is the part I agree with strongly. Personally, I'm sort of wavering between pure literal creation and theistic evolution, but I readily admit creationism can't be proven scientifically. Frankly, I sometimes wonder why so many Christians feel the need to do so. Its a matter of faith, which does indeed sometimes require defiance of logic or reason. Admitting that is part of securing a true faith, IMO.

Oddly, I find that reasonable.

misfit wrote:

D-503 wrote: do you know what I mean? If I do, do I I get to live?

You get to live anyway, you is cool and you kicked me in the balls while we were playing Scrabble.

Creationists and other religious nuts are one of the strongest arguments for eugenics I've ever seen.

Bear wrote:

Creationists and other religious nuts are one of the strongest arguments for eugenics I've ever seen.

If its worth anything, the odds that I'll ever be in position to perform the prerequisite acts for procreation have been questioned on more than one occasion.