America, The Land of the Brave (and the creationists), Leads World in Scientific Literacy
by bipodMore reason the threatiness fails.
Americans are more scientifically literate than Europeans or Japanese, but 70 percent of them cannot understand the New York Times science section, according to Michigan State University researcher.
So Americans lead the world in scientific literacy, the animal rights terrorists continue to blow sh*t up, and the employees of the NCSE would be screwed if cognitive dissonance wasn't such a pervasive human phenomenon (even among the educated).
Source: Scientific literacy: Americans lead but could do better
February 17th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
just to head off criticism, i know the point of the article cited was to say that Americans need more scientific literacy, but that doesn't diminish the fact that Americans currently have the most scientific literacy.
Comment by bipod — February 17, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
February 17th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
But now the target will shift.
They will no longer claim that ID is causing scientific illiteracy (because as you have shown that just isn't the case); but that it doesn't confer proper belief (however defined) in the findings of science.
Then it will be made out as if this problem is just as bad, if not worse, than the initial, errant concern of increase in scientific illiteracy.
Comment by Doug — February 17, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
February 17th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
"…an INCREASE from around 10 percent in the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to Miller's research."
Remind me again when the whole ID controversy started?
Comment by cody — February 17, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
February 17th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
cody:
Hmmm… Maybe you're onto something, cody. Wouldn't that be a real kick in the arse? Which would tend to make the now-falsified complaint by critics that ID will make America dumber just a smokescreen for the fact that it's made 'em pay more attention, and paying more attention hasn't helped "Neodarwinian Orthodoxy" very much. Huh.
Comment by Joy — February 17, 2007 @ 2:43 pm
February 17th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Cody: Remind me again when the whole ID controversy started?Joy: Hmmm"¦ Maybe you're onto something, cody.
ID has created more, not less interest in science. It has encouraged those who do not wish to turn a blind eye to the direction of evidence for convention sake and has motivated those of opposite conviction to delve deeper into studies, texts etc. in an effort to refute IDers.
Comment by Bradford — February 17, 2007 @ 3:51 pm
February 17th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Not just an increase in science literacy, but the biological science especially have been booming the last 12 years in enrollments.
Comment by Salvador T. Cordova — February 17, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
February 18th, 2007 at 5:54 am
Just another example where the "pro-science" side gets caught showing its ignorance of the scientific approach. The "pro-science" people have long been appealing to emotion and bigotry, trying to turn creationists into scape-goats. How will the "pro-science" side explain the high levels of acceptance of evolution in scientifically illiterate nations? How can they blame relgion for scientific illiteracy when more secular nations have worse illiteracy?
Will the "pro-science" blogs mention this article? Or will it be buried/dismissed because it doesn't fit the "pro-science" agenda of fear-mongering? Look, when it comes to the "pro-science" blogs, they actually think one variable – acceptance of evolution – is a legitimate metric of science literacy. And they want to preach to us about the "scientific" approach. LOL.
Comment by MikeGene — February 18, 2007 @ 5:54 am
February 18th, 2007 at 6:13 am
It may be instructive to know what the 31 tested science concepts are. Want to wager whether thermodynamics, or ID, is among them?
Comment by edarrell — February 18, 2007 @ 6:13 am