Posted on 04/19/2006 3:57:51 AM PDT by PatrickHenry
A new article in PLoS Biology (April 18, 2006) discusses the state of scientific literacy in the United States, with especial attention to the survey research of Jon D. Miller, who directs the Center for Biomedical Communications at Northwestern University Medical School.
To measure public acceptance of the concept of evolution, Miller has been asking adults if "human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals" since 1985. He and his colleagues purposefully avoid using the now politically charged word "evolution" in order to determine whether people accept the basics of evolutionary theory. Over the past 20 years, the proportion of Americans who reject this concept has declined (from 48% to 39%), as has the proportion who accept it (45% to 40%). Confusion, on the other hand, has increased considerably, with those expressing uncertainty increasing from 7% in 1985 to 21% in 2005.In international surveys, the article reports, "[n]o other country has so many people who are absolutely committed to rejecting the concept of evolution," quoting Miller as saying, "We are truly out on a limb by ourselves."
The "partisan takeover" of the title refers to the embrace of antievolutionism by what the article describes as "the right-wing fundamentalist faction of the Republican Party," noting, "In the 1990s, the state Republican platforms in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Missouri, and Texas all included demands for teaching creation science." NCSE is currently aware of eight state Republican parties that have antievolutionism embedded in their official platforms or policies: those of Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas. Four of them -- those of Alaska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas -- call for teaching forms of creationism in addition to evolution; the remaining three call only for referring the decision whether to teach such "alternatives" to local school districts.
A sidebar to the article, entitled "Evolution under Attack," discusses the role of NCSE and its executive director Eugenie C. Scott in defending the teaching of evolution. Scott explained the current spate of antievolution activity as due in part to the rise of state science standards: "for the first time in many states, school districts are faced with the prospect of needing to teach evolution. ... If you don't want evolution to be taught, you need to attack the standards." Commenting on the decision in Kitzmiller v. Dover [Kitzmiller et al. v Dover Area School District et al.], Scott told PLoS Biology, "Intelligent design may be dead as a legal strategy but that does not mean it is dead as a popular social movement," urging and educators to continue to resist to the onslaught of the antievolution movement. "It's got legs," she quipped. "It will evolve."
"Regarding man vs corn do your own homework and study nucleotides."
Sorry, you're not even close to being correct. Humans and corn are not 3% different genetically. It's more like 33%. Just admit you made a mistake. Be an adult about it.
"Just as astrophysics and evolution are slowly beginning to be studied together in some instances, so should ID and evolution and physics."
But ID isn't science. It's central claim, the designer, is untestable as are the designer's alleged actions. ID is an old philosophical claim that was dropped by scientists about 150 years ago.
"I wonder how much time could be saved using Genesis as the template?"
None. Genesis was a horrible dead end for science.
"I like science and think the study of evolution is necessary, as well as the study of physics, all the sciences, especially the science of the Bible."
The Bible is not a science text. The less that a scientist relies on the Bible for their work, the better.
Which grief? The Nobel Prize? Professor of physics at Prague? Head of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute? Professor at the University of Berlin? Professor of theoretical physics at Princeton?
Just as astrophysics and evolution are slowly beginning to be studied together in some instances, so should ID and evolution and physics. As time passes I suspect at least two of the sciences to merge. Depends on whether ID is left out or not, if it's three. I wonder how much time could be saved using Genesis as the template?
Astrophysics, evolution, ID, and physics? And at least two of these sciences will merge? Genesis as a template to save time?
In which is your expertise?.
They've done such a wonderful job of it, after all...
Teaching cultural/philosophical issues like evolution is not education; it's indoctrination.
Other than archeology, I don't think any science has ever used the text of the bible as a source of scientific information. Well, I suppose Flood geologists do, but that's a classic dead end.
Fixed that for you. :)
Indirectly it does. Much (if not most) of the greenhouse gasses are produced by rotting trees (rotting due to bacteria) that were flooded by dams created by beavers.
I believe her to be sincere.
Sincerely something, no doubt.
I believe that to be an absolute fact. Human science is utterly irrelevant to the purpose of the Bible.
"The less that a scientist relies on the Bible for their work, the better."
I would in general say that use of the Bible for physical research is without basis, except for one possible exception: The (successful) use of Biblical geographic information to locate the oil deposits in northern Israel, and even in this case, the information was in no way technological.
And I am not wrong about nucleotides, used to determine the difference between corn vs man vs chimp, nor am I wrong about the percentage difference between the two vs man, or how the scientific community dishonestly attempted to impress the masses with that 2% difference.
"What science has pr oven, is that Genesis stands as a very reliable template so far."
What science has demonstrated is that Genesis is a lousy source for scientific research.
"From, "Let there be light" to the order of species development."
The order of species development is wrong in Genesis.
"And most likely to the eventual discovery that life's building blocks are to be found in the molecules in the dust of the earth."
Not likely to be found in the *dust*.
"And I am not wrong about nucleotides, used to determine the difference between corn vs man vs chimp, nor am I wrong about the percentage difference between the two vs man, or how the scientific community dishonestly attempted to impress the masses with that 2% difference."
Yes you are; you are outstandingly wrong. The difference genetically between a human and corn is FAR greater than 3%. I am still waiting for you to provide ANY cites for that 3% figure. The real number is actually over 30%.
Actually editor-surveyor, I don't think the teaching of evolution is the problem here.
In other words, in my view the problem consists of what sort of evolution is being taught, not so much the teaching of evolution per se.
People who think evolution is a material, random process; and people who think evolution is the presently-existing partial fulfillment of God's Will for His Creation, not yet complete, are bound to differ about the foundations, or the Truth, of reality.
I gather that's what the current "public dialogue" is all about. (At least I hope so; we face such grave challenges at the present time it seems....)
BTW, do you really have a beef WRT the teaching of "philosophical/cultural issues" in the secondary schools and institutions of higher learning, in principle??? If so, WHY???
Thank you ever so much for writing, editor-surveyor, and for the ping!
Exactly, because its become a scam.. it ceased being a "business" ages ago.. Even as a business it was lacking business principles... but as a scam.. its parasitic.. and maleficent..
Interesting article here, in this regard ... I recommend following the link in the article to Gatto's stuff too.
ML/NJ
I have no problem with it, and my view is hardly unique among evolutionists.
The only people I see objecting to the "science is limited" meme is CRIDers. I try to tell that to them all the time, but they believe if it's not accepted as science, then it's not legitimate or true.
I'm just noting that it's often done by the left with no outcry from the science organizations
This is not true at all. In fact, it was through scientific skeptic journals that I learned what the left was doing to science. Those journals helped push me to the right.
Well, Buddha did teach one truth about the nature of the physical universe that is considered a bedrock of the religion-- the fact that nothing in the physical universe is static. And unless the steady-state theory has been reinstated while I wasn't paying attention, I'd say Buddha was correct.
evomaniacs ... insulting
evomaniacs ... insulting
kettle ... black
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