Few scientists will claim they know everything about anything, with absolute certainty, even about their own area of expertise. I believe another FR posting just mentioned someone proposing dinosaurs many/most/all had feathers. Does that mean the cable show was all wrong?
No, it just means there are some things yet to be discovered, which will usually produce speculation. A paleontologist/archeologist critiquing the show could probably ramble on endlessly about relative scale, colors, sounds made or not made, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. In the end, these subjects didn't make the cut for a palatible show, in the producer's mind. And his doctorate(s) was in what science?!
I don't have a problem telling the difference, but I see evidence that a lot of the people watching those shows do. What fraction of the world's population would you estimate are well versed in hard science? What percentage of children passing through any public school will go on to study something like biology or evolution at a college level?
Few scientists will claim they know everything about anything, with absolute certainty, even about their own area of expertise. I believe another FR posting just mentioned someone proposing dinosaurs many/most/all had feathers. Does that mean the cable show was all wrong?
No. But it doesn't mean it's all right, either, yet those shows (as well as mainstream media news reports) all speak with a level of authority that the facts do not warrant. I should also point out that public school classes are not tught by real scientists. They are mostly taught by education school graduates who may or may not have any qualifications to teach science.
No, it just means there are some things yet to be discovered, which will usually produce speculation. A paleontologist/archeologist critiquing the show could probably ramble on endlessly about relative scale, colors, sounds made or not made, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. In the end, these subjects didn't make the cut for a palatible show, in the producer's mind. And his doctorate(s) was in what science?!
And in what disclipline is the doctorate of the public school teacher that's teaching evolution to his or her class? That's the point. If children aren't exposed to the full bredth of science in public schools, aren't exposed to the full bredth of science on television, and aren't going to go on to get a doctorate in a science, when exactly are they supposed to be exposed to the idea that science is full of uncertainty and speculation? Or will they simply assume that all of these issues are settled by people with doctorates in science?