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Re: [Phys-l] Poll shows fewer Americans "believe" in global warming




OK. Let's just focus on "believe." One major problem we face as educators is
the public perception of the word "theory." Most people think it means a
"guess" and also that there are lots of theories for a given phenomenon. We
must drive home that there may be competing models, but in the end, there is
only one theory, which represents our "best explanation based on supporting
physical evidence." Also, it is as close to "truth" as we get in science. We
must also differentiate between "knowledge" and "belief." The former must be
true or it isn't knowledge, whereas the latter can be true or false, and in
many cases, such matters are often difficult to prove conclusively.

This discussion is also rooted in our inability to educate the public as to
how science actually works. The general public has the view that theories are
guesses because they've been told that scientists make hypotheses, which are
educated guesses, do an experiment, and voila, you have a theory. Since the
process begins with a guess, the theory must be a guess. "What's your
theory?"




POLL: JUST 39% BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION
Posted: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:30 AM by Mark Murray

From NBC's Mark Murray
Today it's not only Abraham Lincoln's birthday; it's also Charles
Darwin's.

And a brand-new Gallup poll tied to Darwin's birthday finds that just
39% of Americans believe in evolution.

As expected, Gallup notes, education plays a big role here: 74% of
those with post-graduate degrees believe in evolution. That's compared
with only 21% of high school grads (or those with less education) who
believe in the theory.

Ditto religion: 55% who don't attend church believe in evolution,
versus 24% of weekly churchgoers who believe in it.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/02/12/1791814.aspx



Yes, the general public does use the word BELIEVE in a religious
sense. Here is the main thrust of my original post: The use of
the word BELIEVE in asking people about things they are most likely
uninformed about was the main thing I was trying to argue. And, yes,
many people ARE so dumb as to interpret BELIEVE in that sense.
They do NOT know the current science of they are being asked about,
and the word BELIEVE sets off a similar red flag in their minds.
Look at the first thing most uninformed people will say...
Evolution? Man from monkeys, absolutely NOT. Ask the average Joe
and that is exactly what he will say or ask. "No, I don't believe
man came from monkeys!" That's what evolution means to the average
person on the street. It's not descent with change, or change over a
long period of time, or any of the other rational statements. It's
immediately, "I'm not related to any monkey!" The same thing happens
to almost any scientific theory we can name that seems out of place or
not real to the people. Buit, ask them if they BELIEVE in the spirit
world, and I bet a larger number will say, "Of course there are
spirits! My Aunt Gracie came back to me a few nights ago." Ghost
Hunters is a very popular program now and even usually reliable
scientific companies are selling ghost detectors. (See the posts of
today on the physics or chem group list and the disclaimer from the
chairman of marketing for that company.) It is not elitist to show
distain for most of those people. Just look at the poll above. Use
the word believe and they immediately return to their educational and
religious roots. The amount of school plays a big role in this, and
we teachers obviously did not get any points across in our science
classes! I CAN legitimately say, "I don't believe President Obama
is not doing a good job." But, I cannot legitimately say, "I don't
believe the world is round." (don't nitpick with spherical or other
such terms... you get my drift!). The word BELIEVE is so overused in
scientific polls as to be completely useless to the pollster.
Now, as to the other thing a few of you got wrong about my original
post. Some people here keep focusing in the global warming issue like
a red flag to a bull. The title was global warming but that was
only a small reference to the discussion of the word BELIEVE. You
may ask what other word would you use? I DID ask that same question,
and to criticize my post without referring to my asking the same
question is disingenuous to say the least.

Marty


On Oct 22, 2009, at 1:23 PM, LaMontagne, Bob wrote:

The general public does not use the word BELIEVE in the the sense of
religious-like belief. What word would you use? People are not so
dumb as to interpret BELIEVE in the absurd sense that you are trying
to pin on them. They know full well that they are being asked if the
evidence that they have encountered in the papers and on TV has
convinced them of warming or cooling or whatever.

It's elitist to have such disdain for the common person. They
usually have a better sense of what's going on around them than
activists who see everything with blinders on.

Bob at PC

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