Which is a “natural” assumption?
It is no secret that many American adults reject some scientific ideas. In a 2005 Pew Trust poll, for instance, 42% of respondents said that they believed that humans and other animals have existed in their present form since the beginning of time. A substantial minority of Americans, then, deny that evolution has even taken place, making them more radical than “Intelligent Design” theorists, who deny only that natural selection can explain complex design. But evolution is not the only domain in which people reject science: Many believe in the efficacy of unproven medical interventions, the mystical nature of out-of-body experiences, the existence of supernatural entities such as ghosts and fairies, and the legitimacy of astrology, ESP, and divination.
There are two common assumptions about the nature of this resistance. First, it is often assumed to be a particularly American problem, explained in terms of the strong religious beliefs of many American citizens and the anti-science leanings of the dominant political party. Second, the problem is often characterized as the result of insufficient exposure to the relevant scientific facts, and hence is best addressed with improved science education.
We believe that these assumptions, while not completely false, reflect a misunderstanding of the nature of this phenomenon. While cultural factors are plainly relevant, American adults’ resistance to scientific ideas reflects universal facts about what children know and how children learn. If this is right, then resistance to science cannot be simply addressed through more education; something different is needed.
Edge 211 offers up essays and articles ranging from Stephen Colbert to Craig Venter, the Bible to Genomic Design. This essay catches my eye [and brain] as one of the most thought-provoking. It tries to push you beyond the easy answers.
The only thing that will ultimately fix this is the complete, inevitable social and economic meltdown of the USA, when we become a “Mad Max” society. Only the smartest and toughest will survive. People who respond to every problem by getting down on their knees to beg for help from JAYSUS will just get slaughtered.
#1 – well, so much for moving beyond easy answers.
Why do some resist science?
Overvaluation of “belief.” Your, my, their “faith” in this or that is worth nothing.
And yes, high school biology 101 is the cure for ack-bassward denial of evolution.
I think there’s a HUGE difference between what people say they believe and what they actually, in their heart of hearts, actually believe.
It’s one thing to parrot a religion and say you don’t believe in gravity or whatever but if you want to live and you’re too smart to walk off the top of a high building, that significantly changes these results.
Most people are too smart to walk off the top of a building because someone like Jimmy Swaggart tells them there’s no such thing as gravity. They pretend to believe, just to fit in with their group.
#4 – properly speaking, that’s called “spontaneous materialism”. Tee hee.
I find it hard to believe that 93% of the regulars here believe the Pew Trust poll is a accurate representation of Americans believes.
Of course then again you guys believe whatever God (the internet in this case) tells you.
this is (pardon the pun) a no brainer
kids who are good in science get picked on in our schools — our society teaches kids that smarty-pants nerds deserve to be bullied and abused.
it’s no wonder people in our nation reject science, if fear being socially ostracized if they accepted.
only pretty people and those with athletic ability get america’s blessing.
it’s also no wonder W got elected.
oops fat-fingered that one
it’s no wonder people in our nation reject science, they* fear being socially ostracized if they accepted it*.
#6 – Of course then again you guys believe whatever God (the internet in this case) tells you.
The science crowd thinks the religion crowd are all sheep following one charismatic leader, and they mindlessly believe whatever they are told because they are incapable of independent thought. It’s the only logical explanation for why religious people believe the stupid bullshit that they do.
The religious crowd thinks the science crowd are all sheep following one charismatic leader, and they mindlessly believe whatever they are told because they are incapable of independent thought. It’s the only logical explanation for why science people believe the stupid bullshit that they do.
Obviously, I think the religious point of view is intellectually weak, at best… But I’m not sure those who buy it believe it solely because they were told to. There must be some basis for belief, even if that basis is influenced by poor critical thinking skills.
Sorry God people… UFO people… Paranormal people… Ghost, fairy, unicorn, sea monster, Bigfoot, conspiracy, loonbat people… but you are wrong. Still, I’m trying to give you credit for being at least doing your own thinking.
Personally, i don’t believe that all those people really do. I’m sure many were pressured by some member of family, a grandparent perhaps, who was/is quite devout, and wouldn’t like their grandsons believe scientific bs.
The main bad side of religion, is that some people seem to think you can’t believe the bible, or follow it, and believe in science. take darwin, he wasn’t trying to disprove god, he was trying to find out how god worked. look what trouble that got him into
I find it interesting that right next to this on the main page is a link to “Dvorak.org Daily Horoscopes”.
#11 – Now that ya mention it… 🙂
#1
It won’t happen at all, what will happen is that the USA will become the christian version of a muslim state.
[from the article]
For instance, 1 in 5 American adults believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth, which is somewhat shocking—but the same proportion holds for Germany and Great Britain.
Oh Good Grief !! I don’t think I’ve met a single person older than two who actually believes this. One in five? Somewhat shocking?? Get real.
OK, how many believe you can travel to the Sun in a rocket as long as you go at night? (POTUS and some presidential candidates need not reply)
#1 Along with those that currently get down on their knees and beg Uncle Sugar for their monthly checks.
Why do some resist science? Well, gee, maybe because science is often wrong. Remember the “science” behind the hi carb diet? The “science” of food additives? The science of Newtonian physics? People can and should resist science when it fails to explain the observations of their daily lives and the evidence of their natural capacity for rational thought. Science as orthodoxy often does fall short of these measures. Science as method is simply a rigorous and systematic application of natural adaptive processes that virtually all living beings exhibit in some form or another. Now, don’t get me wrong . . . we SHOULD apply those adaptive processes rigorously and systematically. But people who venerate science like it’s a religion, it would seem to me, are rather missing the point. It’s fun to bash the religious right, though.
#16 – But people who venerate science like it’s a religion, it would seem to me, are rather missing the point. It’s fun to bash the religious right, though.
Nobody treats science like religion. They treat it like science. Many non-scientists don’t really have tools or training to treat it the way actual scientists do, and tus must listen carefully to experts and try their best to understand… You’ll notice many laypeople doing this very well when it comes to their health, especially those who are better educated.
Applying science to problems is to seek solutions and attempt to understand. A fool thinks science explains everything right away and is infallible. Only a fool thinks anything is infallable. Conversely it is a fool who thinks science explains nothing and is the Devil’s work.
It isn’t “fun” to bash the religious right. It’s “essential” to do so.
well, I think this actually stems from the same root as the overall rise of spirituality worldwide:
A few centuries back, when scientific insight could be gained using an apple, science was rather simple to access and understand, so it’s potential to explain things to the “man in the street” in a satisfactory way was relatively large.
After Einstein and Heisenberg, physics became increasingly difficult. For an average bystander, it might even seem a bit muddled. Apple, gravitation, splat. Easy enough. But light being bent by gravitation? Time being bent by speed? A particle that cannot be pinned down in space/time?
Now you look at the wide field of biotech… so many questions answered but so many new questions with every single answer.
We’re getting better and better in explaining the world, scientifically, but the amount of scientific knowledge necessary to understand this explanation is growing fast, much too fast for average ppl to follow.
For them, then, science seems to explain less today than it did in the days of Newton and the likes. It’s not true, but it’s percieved truth.
pj
Some very good points. @18 and @17. Science is asking questions, looking for answers and not just accepting what the FSM or any other deity’s representative tells you you should believe. That is the main problem I had with religion. Too many things were to be taken on faith. There are some ideas in science that are so complicated that accepting them almost seems like faith but, if i want to dig into them, I can try and get a handle on them. Science trumps religion again!
Is it just me, or do a lot of people here think because they don’t believe in God they are somehow more advanced than others in our society? Science is a tool. That’s all. It may one day answer “how” things came to be, but it likely can’t answer “why”.
#20 – Yes. Because we don’t believe in ghosts, fairys, unicorns, Bigfoot, Flying Spagetti Monsters, or God, we are more advanced. That is true. Thanks for asking. Would you like some literature?
@16 – James – I highly doubt you’ve ever observed a failure of the Newtonian model of physics in your daily life. Much of physics is just models, which attempt to explain the available data. When a better model is found, it may go into use, but even in most applied uses of modern science, the Newtonian model is sufficient – when was the last time you were accelerated to near light speed?
#21 – Ok… I just wanted to properly gage the level of arrogance amongst our peers. Thanks for helping.
#16
> Well, gee, maybe because science is often wrong. Remember
> the “science” behind the hi carb diet? The “science” of
> food additives? The science of Newtonian physics?
#22 Bruce beat me to it. Last I checked quite a few inventions are based on Newtonian physics. Newton wasn’t wrong. His laws are inaccurate at the quantum level which is different. F=MA still applies to those not traveling near the speed of light.
People seem to mistake “self-correcting” for “wrong often.” Science merely seeks to understand how our world works. When models are devised that are more accurate than previous ones, the previous ones are discarded or revised with bounds. Newton’s model is still accurate under certain bounds. Only in mathematics can you be wrong or right with 100% certainty.
#8, grog,
Don’t worry about those fat fingers. I’m sure they are NOT attached to a fat brain, judging from #7. Well said, well except for the typo.
#23 – It’s the printed word and we all have a way of finding what we want to find… So I’ll forgive you if you’ve mistaken something else for arrogance.
Could have been sarcasm… Maybe humor… Maybe it was arrogance… You could ask probing questions and make sure you understand the nature of the statement… or you could just accept it on faith that you are right.
That doesn’t really make one group of humans superior to another, but it does make faith inferior to science.
And why is it arrogant? No one admits they don’t know faster than a scientist. Admission of a lack of knowledge is not arrogant. It’s humble. The scientist says, I don’t know, I want to find out, I will search for the answer.
Faith has no questions, just pat answers, and when you do find a conflict in faith, faith says it isn’t for man to understand.
You want arrogance? Go to church. You want understanding, look to science.
#24, Thomas, you are correct, last time I checked, Newtonian physics worked well enough for NASA to get us to the moon, even down to the second when the LEM rounded the Moon’s limb and comm was lost. Newtonian physics and speed of light C worked quite well.
#28, Lauren, you may have left one out:
Most people assume that science increases the amount of knowledge we have about the universe. Generally speaking, that’s true and it’s why science is so important; sometimes, though, science can actually decrease ‘knowledge’ because it reveals that what we thought we knew to be true wasn’t true at all.
Maybe when those in science get some humility. Seeking is one thing, flat out stating something is true when it is merely a good theory is foolish.
Follow the global warming lemmings to see my point.
#30..
At least some years from now we will know who was right in the global warming debate…
Yet the killing over religion and who’s god is best will go on for centuries.