> [*only* 37%?]
>
> Poll: Creationism Trumps Evolution
Thinking out loud -- I may be all wet, but:
I wonder how outraged and indignant we defenders of science really should get about this kind of poll finding. It's really not too surprising, considering that the average American knows practically nothing about science (what was the poll not long ago that found that a majority of Americans didn't know that the earth travels around the sun?),. Evolutionary theory is certainly a lot more complicated than the layout of the solar system. Didn't we all learn that in the first grade with the grapefruit, apples, grapes, etc.? And as adults, these American goofuses can't even get that straight.
But if you don't understand the first thing about evolutionary theory, it's probably pretty hard to see how "apes" and "humans" could be at all related. The Genesis story would sound pretty convincing, especially since it is set in a rich mythical context with a beautiful garden, a nasty snake, etc. Whereas if the average American schoolchild gets any exposure to evolution at all, it is probably in a terminally boring biology class in which the kid has gotten lost from Day One, since who can understand this science crap anyway, and is day-dreaming about his/her boy/girlfriend rather than listening to the teacher.
So I'm not at all surprised that the percentage of "believers in evolution" is smaller than the creation believers; in fact, the difference is only 15%, 40% of all Americans for evolution and 55% for creation. Sure, the Bush voters are overwhelmingly for Genesis, but even the Kerry voters are basically split even. And would patiently teaching evolution to the Bush voters, even if they were to sit still for the lesson and absorb it, actually be necessary to change their positions on any political issues? In other words, isn't it entirely possible to become pretty progressive even if you continue to think Adam and Eve, not a monkey pair, were your grandfolks?
Of course, we need vast improvements in the way science is taught in U.S. schools. We also need to restore music and arts education to what it was a couple of generations ago, and in fact make it even better than it was. Heck, we even need to get basic school supplies into the schools where the teachers have to buy them out of their own pockets. But I'm not sure how much political payback we can get from devoting a lot of energy to converting ditto-heads to Darwin.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________ The mass of man[sic]kind is divided into two classes, the Sancho Panzas who have a sense for reality, but no ideals, and the Don Quixotes with a sense for ideals, but mad. -- George Santayana (Interpretations of Poetry annd Religion)