Only 40% of Americans accept evolution

CptStern

CptStern

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/ind...e=UPI-1-20060811-00340800-bc-us-evolution.xml

pretty sad:

Science Daily said:
The United States ranks near the bottom, just ahead of Turkey, in a new survey measuring public acceptance of evolution in 34 countries.

The study, led by University of Michigan researcher Jon Miller, found that 40 percent of Americans accept evolution, down from 45 percent over the past 20 years. Among the nations examined, only Turkey had a lower rate of acceptance of evolution, with 25 percent accepting it and 75 percent rejecting it.
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although there is some hope (albeit tiny):

Science Daily said:
The percentage of U.S. adults who overtly reject evolution also declined over the past 20 years, from 48 percent to 39 percent. The percentage of those who were unsure increased from 7 percent to 21 percent.
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compared to other nations:

Science Daily said:
In Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France, 80 percent or more of adults accepted evolution. In Japan, 78 percent of adults did.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/ind...e=UPI-1-20060811-00340800-bc-us-evolution.xml


related article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060811192101.htm
 
Old as the dinosaurs that didn't exist.
 
the study is from august 10, 2006

I cant find the stats for canada ..I'm curious too
 
i just dont understand why evolution is punctuated not gradual. but i guess i accept evolution. another weird thing is that humans are evolving now but the direction in which we are is unknown
 
Doesn't matter how much they reject it, its still gonna happen. And evolution is gradual......
 
delusional said:
i just dont understand why evolution is punctuated not gradual. but i guess i accept evolution. another weird thing is that humans are evolving now but the direction in which we are is unknown
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evolution is punctuated because various events like climate change vastly affect its outcome.

Humans are of course evolving to suit our environment, but human evolution is very complex because we have so much technology. Essentially, we don't have to make any massive evolutionary changes to overcome our environment, because we use technology. However, humanity is getting constantly smarter, taller and heavier, and our vestigal organs like the appendix constantly shrink into oblivion. Ultimatley, natural selection is not as big of a factor in human evolution as is sexual selection. The human race as a whole is thus evolving based on social trends and other such non-environmental conditions.
 
i dont believe we are genetically becoming obese though even though i was born 12 pounds
 
it's the wording of the polled questions that's different ..the numbers are dissimiliar when comparing the two
 
So ... how long do you guys think it will take for the USA to turn into a threocratic state at this rate ?
 
Never :).

Just because some Americans don't accept evolution doesn't mean they're backwater hill billies blessing the grace of God in everything they do. For all you know, it could just be people who simply don't believe in evolution. Even Darwin expressed doubt in his theories from time to time.
 
well I remember when it wasnt so ...preachy. It usually coincided with when a democrat was in office ..the republicans get tons of support from the christian right
 
DeusExMachina said:
Even Darwin expressed doubt in his theories from time to time.
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I don't know where everyone is getting this, but its a downright misconception. Darwin only doubted his own social standing, he didn't feel that his theory would be accepted, he didn't expressedly say something along the lines of "I don't know if this can be correct" or "I must have done something wrong"

in fact, I think this extends from a rumor circulated shortly after Darwin died.

"Shortly after Darwin's death, temperance campaigner and evangelist Lady Elizabeth Hope claimed she visited Darwin at his deathbed, and witnessed the renunciation. Her story was printed in a Boston newspaper and subsequently spread. Lady Hope's story was refuted by Darwin's daughter Henrietta who stated, "I was present at his deathbed ... He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier."
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there you go.
 
Lots of people made up shit regarding Darwin after he died. That he renounced evolution, embraced Jesus, et cetera.
 
DeusExMachina said:
Never :).

Just because some Americans don't accept evolution doesn't mean they're backwater hill billies blessing the grace of God in everything they do. For all you know, it could just be people who simply don't believe in evolution. Even Darwin expressed doubt in his theories from time to time.
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QFTFT.
 
I'm suprised it's not lower. Although I bet those 40 % include people who believe that god guided the progress.

I would like to see the complete list. I'd be interesting to see if we beat the French, the Danish and the Icelanders.
 
That is one worrying statistic.

My friend took me to a creationist presentation once. I've never seen such a bunch of screaming nut jobs in my life. Smiling and nodding in a collective trance at some very twisted and misinterpreted scietific 'facts'. When talking to them afterwards many seemed to have an expression of almost vacant acceptance, just behind the eyes - completely unquestioning.

They were a nice, friendly bunch, though, but left me feeling very uneasy. I certainly couldn't live in a place where they were the majority, and would hate to find a situation in which they had any control or say in the government.
 
Warbie said:
That is one worrying statistic.

My friend took me to a creationist presentation once. I've never seen such a bunch of screaming nut jobs in my life. Smiling and nodding in a collective trance at some very twisted and misinterpreted scietific 'facts'. When talking to them afterwards many seemed to have an expression of almost vacant acceptance, just behind the eyes - completely unquestioning.

They were a nice, friendly bunch, though, but left me feeling very uneasy. I certainly couldn't live in a place where they were the majority, and would hate to find a situation in which they had any control or say in the government.
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ya what's with the nodding and smiling? I've seen that as well ..kinda creepy
 
the original or the remake? zombie christians who're perpetually smilling, nodding and noshing on brains? that is creepy ..nothing a shotgun blast to the face couldnt fix :E
 
The title of this thread conjured up the mental image of baboons solemnly refusing the offer of some shiny new DNA.

Go figure.
 
delusional said:
i just dont understand why evolution is punctuated not gradual. but i guess i accept evolution. another weird thing is that humans are evolving now but the direction in which we are is unknown
Click to expand...

Please...we are all gonna end up like the Combine Advisors within 4 generations!!!!
 
Evolution is both gradual and punctuated: the two terms refer to different scales. Its gradual in the sense that the changes from generation to generation are always pretty minor. But it's punctuated in the sense that the pace of change in the macro scale can vary quite a lot: species can remain pretty stable for long periods of time and then undergo periods of rapid adaptation to new situations or because of some sudden mutational breakthrough hit upon that enters the population.
 
DeusExMachina said:
Its good to be skeptical towards things.
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Are you also skeptical of gravity? That the sun revolves around the Earth? Or that electricity is caused by movement of electrons through a conductor via an electric field? Evolution is as solid a theory as the ones listed above.
 
0mar said:
Are you also skeptical of gravity? That the sun revolves around the Earth? Or that electricity is caused by movement of electrons through a conductor via an electric field? Evolution is as solid a theory as the ones listed above.
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Everything is relative :p
 
0mar said:
Are you also skeptical of gravity? That the sun revolves around the Earth? Or that electricity is caused by movement of electrons through a conductor via an electric field? Evolution is as solid a theory as the ones listed above.
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The only reason we don't float into space is because of God's will exerting on us. Duh.
 
DeusExMachina said:
The only reason we don't float into space is because of God's will exerting on us. Duh.
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Well, if you think about it Relatively, the earth doesnt move around the sun, the sun moves around us :p
 
All those Christians are gonna get owned when Cthulhu wakes up.

-Angry Lawyer
 
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