Belief in evolution around the world (1 Viewer)

[SashatheMan]

Belief in evolution around the world

Adults in each country were asked whether they thought the statement, "Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals," was true or false, or if they were unsure.

A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution.

Only Turkey ranked lower.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207858,00.html

btw the original data comes from
http://www.livescience.com/

Only Turkey ranked lower.

Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal group of American Christians, the researchers say.

"American Protestantism is more fundamentalist than anybody except perhaps the Islamic fundamentalists, which is why Turkey and we are so close," said study co-author Jon Miller of Michigan State University.

Sadly Australia is not included in the list, but i gather that we are pretty high up when it comes to the amount of people who believe in evolution.

I really wonder, how come US became some fundemental in their beleifs, why is it the ony Western country to have so many religious fanatics and hardcore creationists? How come the rest of Europe and other developed countried embrace science and accept evolution as a well built theory?

 

[gerhard]

bulgarians dont know what the fuck is going on

 

[lengy]

I'd say we'd be pretty close to the United Kingdom.

 

[SashatheMan]

bulgarians dont know what the fuck is going on

hahah so true. They probably cant understand what the hell the question is asking.

 

[xeuyrawp]

To the 'False' responders, they should have been asked when and where they think people just popped out of nowhere.

Hmm, I just noticed that as you come towards the bottom of the graph, the 'not sure' answers increase. I wonder why - any ideas?

 

[SashatheMan]

To the 'False' responders, they should have been asked when and where they think people just popped out of nowhere.

Hmm, I just noticed that as you come towards the bottom of the graph, the 'not sure' answers increase. I wonder why - any ideas?

probably, because the two sides who express their beliefs become more equal, and the person finds it harder to choose which one is the correct belief, since opinions can be shifted with numbers, and that just confuses people.

 

[bshoc]

I really wonder, how come US became some fundemental in their beleifs, why is it the ony Western country to have so many religious fanatics and hardcore creationists? How come the rest of Europe and other developed countried embrace science and accept evolution as a well built theory?

The same reason they were suckered into believing in eugenics in the 20's, fascism in the 30's and feminism in the 70's. Evolution seems like an iron theory to many people today, the same "this is the undenyable truth because we have irrefutable evidence" way eugenics was viewed in 20's - many scientific theories have been disproven and new ones created in their place over time, its not at all unthinkable that the evolution of man could be modified or completely disproven as science continues to better itself. From a side on perspective, evolution-fanatics are no different from christian-fanatics, although both are godly compared to the filth that is Islam.

 

[Gavvvvvin]

Evoloution is not a theory - ITS A MODEL! :rofl:

 

[bshoc]

Evoloution is not a theory - ITS A MODEL! :rofl:

so was eugenics

 

[SashatheMan]

haha evolution fanatics? i would love to meet someone like that.

 

[ur_inner_child]

To the 'False' responders, they should have been asked when and where they think people just popped out of nowhere.

When I was a little drunk at a party and this guy was talking to me, we somehow talked about evolution. He told me he didn't believe in it. I asked about stuff, and then we went to the subject of dinosaurs. He told me that Jesus was walking among dinosaurs etc.

My reaction was "HAVENT YOU SEEN JURASSIC PARK!?!"

/tangent

 

[sam04u]

I actually think the people in Bulgaria are the most sane. If I was asked, I would ask, "Do you mean in Humans?", "Evolution of Species?" or "Life being created on Earth naturally?" Then I would respond accordingly. (The question in itself is way too ambiguous.)

 

[sam04u]

The same reason they were suckered into believing in eugenics in the 20's, fascism in the 30's and feminism in the 70's. Evolution seems like an iron theory to many people today, the same "this is the undenyable truth because we have irrefutable evidence" way eugenics was viewed in 20's - many scientific theories have been disproven and new ones created in their place over time, its not at all unthinkable that the evolution of man could be modified or completely disproven as science continues to better itself. From a side on perspective, evolution-fanatics are no different from christian-fanatics, although both are godly compared to the filth that is Islam.

Actually Islam is the only religion which has had almost NO contradictions within Science. The Catholic church challenged copernicus for making the Heliocentric model of the universe, and many other contradictions through Science. Islam does the opposite and certain verses have been interpreted to represent evolution and even the Big-Bang. The only slight contradiction is evolution in Humans, and even that is somewhat supported by Islam.

I would like to know why you single Islam out as trash? (When infact it is the least so.)

 

[ur_inner_child]

Heavy Metal countries = more likely to support evolution?

I'm joking fellas.

 

[ElendilPeredhil]

Actually Islam is the only religion which has had almost NO contradictions within Science. The Catholic church challenged copernicus for making the Heliocentric model of the universe, and many other contradictions through Science. Islam does the opposite and certain verses have been interpreted to represent evolution and even the Big-Bang. The only slight contradiction is evolution in Humans, and even that is somewhat supported by Islam.

I would like to know why you single Islam out as trash? (When infact it is the least so.)

I would ignore him.(bshoc) He is a fanatic (just like everyone) for his own beliefs, one of the fanatical conservatives...

Besides, I doubt he was referring to Islam as being trash because of its contradictions with science. Evolution is a theory that makes more sense only because it does not rely on the supernatural like creationism. It is possible to believe in neither and yet not be a fanatic.

 

[Lori.]

Surely gravity is a law, not a theory?

 

[gerhard]

there is no such thing as a scientific law, (scientifically speaking). Of course people use the term, but it doesnt mean anything.

it is quite a good theory though

 

[Xayma]

Surely gravity is a law, not a theory?

A law in science is more a general way of how things works and does not attempt to explain it. For example the law of gravity doesn't explain how gravity works it makes no such thing. We have theories of how gravity works which are different (the general theory of relativity and the idea of gravitons for example).

 

[webby234]

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-21-voa4.cfm

Scientists digging in Ethiopia's desert have found the most complete skeleton yet of a prehistoric ape-man species thought to be a forerunner of humans. It is of a very young female who died of unknown causes more than three million years ago. Her bones fill an important gap in understanding this particular species and potentially its place in human evolution.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006609210320

Republican candidate Dick DeVos said Michigan school districts should be allowed to teach intelligent design in science classes as a possible explanation of diverse life on Earth

Amazing that on the same day that we discover even more evidence for evolution - that skeleton on its own is almost enough to show evolution to be true, a member of parliament can still be ignorant enough to claim that evolution is wrong. My personal view is that ignorance is the reason people don't accept the Theory of Evolution.

many scientific theories have been disproven and new ones created in their place over time, its not at all unthinkable that the evolution of man could be modified or completely disproven as science continues to better itself.

Not many well-established scientific theories (where there is actual observational evidence) are completely overthrown - what usually happens is that the theory is essentially right, but needs some modification. For example, the discovery of quarks did not mean that matter was not composed of protons, neutrons and electrons. Another example would be Newton's theory of gravity being superseded by Einstein's general relativity - Newton's theory can still be used in all but the most extreme cases.

 

[bshoc]

Dawinism is obviously very important to leftists and atheists. In the US they bring lawsuits whenever anyone mentions in a high school biology class, for example, the Cambrian explosion, where every animal, phyla appear in the blink of an eye—no evolutionary process—there it is, including the eye by the way, which they've never figured out how the eye could have evolved by natural mutation—random mutation, and natural selection. Well, there it is—the fossil record disproves it. But we can't mention the Cambrian explosion or the Chinese Fossil Bed that appeared before that. I mean, what you see over and over again with species is not the gradual change from one species to another, or even to create an all-new, novel biological form. You see a species appearing fully formed, minor adaptations for whatever it is—a hundred million years—and then poof, totally disappearing. Almost like there was a flood or something