Where Evolution is taught in the United States
April 4th 2007 05:48
Those of us that live in Australia often look at the United States with a kind of amused smirk when it comes to the Evolution debate - I know I do.
The issue is that Evolution is being stricken from the school curriculum across the country, or diluted with much duck-stepping and weasely words that there's no scientific information left.
This map takes a great big look at the entire country and shows us, straight up, which states have decent instruction in evolutionary biology. There aren't many. California is one, you'll notice. So is South Carolina, which struck me as odd.
Apparently, the rest of the country is decaying under the corrosive cloak of Intelligent Design, which seems to advocate that the Universe was designed by a 'higher force', so that explains biology, physics and chemistry. We don't need to learn anything, so we can finally remove those pesky scientists from the Universities. And replace the research labs with Monster Truck Racing, like the good Lord intended.
You'll also notice that Intelligent Design provides the foundation for the Global Warming Skeptic. Since there's an intelligent designer (cough... Christian God...cough cough), there's no need to stop polluting or even conserving, since God can just snap his fingers and turn all the greenhouse gases into the delightful aroma of potpourri.
Whee! Driving big-ass SUVs is fun!
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Comment by Damo
Unfortunately because of the nature of the politics surrounding evoluion it is difficult for the lay person to have a ration discussion.
A lot of people are standing on the sidelines howling at anything that moves.
Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by Nina
So I guess the people howling about how unfair it is for ID not to be taught in schools have no problem with evolution being stricken from the curriculum?
I personally believe that they should teach the Pastafarian theory of creation.
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Comment by Ahmed
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Still think that woman who doesn't believe in global warming because 'god promised to never flood the earth again' after Noah's flood is a nutcase, worse still, she's a teacher, worser STILL, she lives on the Solomon Islands, worser YET, those Islands may end up submerged under water in the next 50 years.
Yet I'm supposed be a backwards person stuck 1400 years ago.
Comment by Francis
Passionate Apathy
Yes, it's a national tragedy/scandal that evolution isn;t taught in so many places- but the public schools are failing so fast that we're not teaching so very much else. Ever watch a class of ninth-grade students reach for their calculators to add two single-digit numbers?
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Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
"So your theory consists of pointing to knowledge gaps and thus denying evolution and replacing it with 'a wizard did it'? My, it must have taken a lot of time and research to come up with such compelling science."
I've had this essential discussion on occasion. Once or twice, people who were on the fence seemed persuaded by my arguments. When conversing on this subject with hardliners, however, I find it more personally useful to bash my head against the wall repeatedly until I pass out. It's honestly more rewarding.
Comment by Ahmed
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