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Abortion, Civil Rights, Healthcare and other Social Issues Abortion, Civil Rights, Homosexuality, Education, Healthcare and other such issues

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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 08-27-2007
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Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

I am shocked to say that the majority of children do not believe in Evolution. Before I go much further than that, let me explain some things.

My biology teacher, who taught honors classes, asked the honors class who thought evolution was true. Me and one other student, the valedictorian, raised our hands. He was incredulous, and asked the class who thought it was fake. The rest of the class all raised their hands. This persisted into college for me, too. I attend a school in Virginia, and only a few people agree with me. I thought that getting into a near ivy-league school required a measure of belief in facts. No professor I have never had has ever doubted Evolution's existence.

This was shocking for me. How can one who plans to major in archeology believe that the world is only a few thousand years old? I couldn't believe it. Worse, many thought we evolved from chimpanzees, and other wild claims. I don't believe we evolved from chimpanzees, either! What trash have teachers been telling these kids?
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Old 08-27-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Quote:
How can one who plans to major in archeology believe that the world is only a few thousand years old?
Not believing in evolution doesnt imply that someone thinks the world is only a few thousand years old. Thought it is hard to argue that evolution doesnt exist if the world is a few billion years old.
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Old 08-27-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chang Wufei View Post
I am shocked to say that the majority of children do not believe in Evolution.
That seems to be a broad and dubious generalization based only on the experiences you mentioned. Do you have any more general support for that assertion?

Also, what schools were you at?
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Old 08-27-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

It could be that they believe in evolution, but refute the current theory. I know I do not agree fully with the current concept of evolution.
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Old 08-27-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Not accepting some form of the theory of evolution is rejection of logical thought. I try to be tolerant of others' religious beliefs, but as far as I'm concerned, creationists who believe the earth is 6,000 years old have no scientific authority whatsoever.
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

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Originally Posted by iTaliAN_ICe View Post
Not accepting some form of the theory of evolution is rejection of logical thought. I try to be tolerant of others' religious beliefs, but as far as I'm concerned, creationists who believe the earth is 6,000 years old have no scientific authority whatsoever.
6,000? What the hell have you been smoking, the world is only 5,998 years old.
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

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Originally Posted by proUSA View Post
6,000? What the hell have you been smoking, the world is only 5,998 years old.
My bad!
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chang Wufei View Post
I am shocked to say that the majority of children do not believe in Evolution. Before I go much further than that, let me explain some things.

My biology teacher, who taught honors classes, asked the honors class who thought evolution was true. Me and one other student, the valedictorian, raised our hands. He was incredulous, and asked the class who thought it was fake. The rest of the class all raised their hands. This persisted into college for me, too. I attend a school in Virginia, and only a few people agree with me. I thought that getting into a near ivy-league school required a measure of belief in facts. No professor I have never had has ever doubted Evolution's existence.
It’s a lot like word association. People associate Darwinism and related origin theories “with the title” evolution due to a normalization movement from the 1960’s.
Looking at older pictures of old western wanted posters, paintings like Abraham Lincoln ect make it quite obvious we’re more child like looking today then a few hundred years ago.
Example:



All life “as with civilization, intellect and invent” is designed to advance. Less then a single percent of the entire human race believe in evolutionary origin.
Even in the United States there are only single digit percentage of atheists.

The only reason you even heard of Darwin or evolution can be correlated to what your generation is witnessing today with global warming movements. The majority of science or anything that would contradict these movements are kept out of the arena.
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

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Originally Posted by Hank View Post
All life “as with civilization, intellect and invent” is designed to advance. Less then a single percent of the entire human race believe in evolutionary origin.
I doubt that. That certainly isn't the case in America. According to a 1997 Gallup Poll, 39% of the population believes in "god-guided" evolution, and an addition 10% believe in evolution without a god, Making 49% who subscribe to some form of the theory of evolution (as opposed to creationists, who represent 44% of those polled.)

Additionally, 95% of scientists believe in some kind of evolution. 55% believe in atheistic/naturalistic evolution, and 40% believe in theistic evolution.

The vast majority of "highly educated" adults also believe in evolution.

Source: Public Beliefs About Evolution and Creation

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hank View Post
Even in the United States there are only single digit percentage of atheists.
Atheists, agnostics, and the otherwise non-religious made up 15% of the population in 2001, up from 8.4% in 1990. I suspect the numbers are even higher now.

Source: Demography of the US - Wikipedia

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hank View Post
The only reason you even heard of Darwin or evolution can be correlated to what your generation is witnessing today with global warming movements. The majority of science or anything that would contradict these movements are kept out of the arena.
I'd argue that the theory of evolution (which I subscribe to) has far more credibility than the theory of human-induced global warming (which I don't subscribe to). The only reason alternative theories to evolution are "kept out of the arena" is because the only ones that exist are creationist theories, which deny almost all of our factually verified scientific knowledge on the subject. Creationism, for the most part, goes against logic and what we know to be true.
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

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Originally Posted by Dilettante View Post
That seems to be a broad and dubious generalization based only on the experiences you mentioned. Do you have any more general support for that assertion?

Also, what schools were you at?

I'm at a very selective college where it's common to be turned away for having a 3.5 GPA throughout high school. I don't give out personal info like names, though, sorry. But the school IS on the Mason-Dixon line. As for the high school, we had a 88% graduate-to-college rate. That's very impressive, and we tested as third in state.

The vast majority of my peers do not believe in Evolution. I wish that it was some sort of sick joke, that they'd simply say "of course I do!"
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Old 08-28-2007
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Exclamation Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by proUSA View Post
It could be that they believe in evolution, but refute the current theory. I know I do not agree fully with the current concept of evolution.
No, I didn't simply just ask and drop the subject. I'm a curious individual. Many scorned me, saying that I was an idiot for thinking that Man descended from Gorillas or Chimpanzees. Their ignorance left me more or less dumbfounded. I've had hour long discussions with most. Eventually they just revert back to sprouting what they've been told instead of what they think, and it's impossible to get them to see anything else. It's almost like brainwashing.

No, these people out and out refute the very idea. Most just don't subscribe to the whole "man evolved from chimps" (we didn't, we just have a common ancestor) and are slightly put off by the idea. I can't blame them- that much false information is bound to create some confusion. but many others seem to simply be told not to believe in evolution, and so they simply bob their heads and get a gentle pat on the head by a ruler-wielding nun instead of a sharp whack, which is what I got for asking "why" back in my Sunday school days.

Last edited by Chang Wufei; 08-28-2007 at 11:10 AM. Reason: none
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chang Wufei View Post
I am shocked to say that the majority of children do not believe in Evolution. Before I go much further than that, let me explain some things.

My biology teacher, who taught honors classes, asked the honors class who thought evolution was true. Me and one other student, the valedictorian, raised our hands. He was incredulous, and asked the class who thought it was fake. The rest of the class all raised their hands. This persisted into college for me, too. I attend a school in Virginia, and only a few people agree with me. I thought that getting into a near ivy-league school required a measure of belief in facts. No professor I have never had has ever doubted Evolution's existence.

This was shocking for me. How can one who plans to major in archeology believe that the world is only a few thousand years old? I couldn't believe it. Worse, many thought we evolved from chimpanzees, and other wild claims. I don't believe we evolved from chimpanzees, either! What trash have teachers been telling these kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by proUSA View Post
It could be that they believe in evolution, but refute the current theory. I know I do not agree fully with the current concept of evolution.
I believe that within these two posts lies a fair picture of what is being taught.
proUSA is probably correct in that people differentiated in their definition of "evolution". But that's the problem. Evolution is a scientific theory which means that it is inherently subject to continual editing, refining, etc...
There is no excuse for this perceived distinction in definition resulting in such a huge gap!

Why do we not understand what "evolution" means in terms of science?
Inexcusable. Incomprehensible.
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chang Wufei View Post
I'm at a very selective college where it's common to be turned away for having a 3.5 GPA throughout high school. I don't give out personal info like names, though, sorry. But the school IS on the Mason-Dixon line. As for the high school, we had a 88% graduate-to-college rate. That's very impressive, and we tested as third in state.

The vast majority of my peers do not believe in Evolution. I wish that it was some sort of sick joke, that they'd simply say "of course I do!"
I didn't mean to pry; mostly I was curious whether or not it was a public school or not, and if not, whether it had any specific religious connection(s).
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  #14 (permalink)  
Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

It's been a long time but I don't remember anyone in college who did not fully believe in evolution. Of course we didn't exactly have a huge evangelical community at a central Massachusetts engineering school.
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Old 08-28-2007
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Re: Evolution: Conflict in the Classroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hank View Post
It’s a lot like word association. People associate Darwinism and related origin theories “with the title” evolution due to a normalization movement from the 1960’s.
Looking at older pictures of old western wanted posters, paintings like Abraham Lincoln ect make it quite obvious we’re more child like looking today then a few hundred years ago.
Example:
[IG]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/Robert777/plaque.jpg[/IMG]
[IG]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/Robert777/darwin5.jpg[/IMG]

All life “as with civilization, intellect and invent” is designed to advance. Less then a single percent of the entire human race believe in evolutionary origin.
Even in the United States there are only single digit percentage of atheists.

The only reason you even heard of Darwin or evolution can be correlated to what your generation is witnessing today with global warming movements. The majority of science or anything that would contradict these movements are kept out of the arena.
Bob, how do pictures of a very old Charles Darwin and a fairly young Carl Sagan demonstrate anything?
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