Re: [Phys-L] Conservapedia (was HD 140283)

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

While the 41% of Dems and 39% of independents is also scandalous, it does
not have an effect on education policies.  The 59% or Reps. Does have an
effect as teachers shy away from topics which are controversial" such as
cosmology, evolution, or global warming.  When you have Republican
domination in a state like TX it has a huge effect on education.  Just look
at the TX board of education.

Also the 10,000 figure is not the figure they believe it.  It is merely the
upper bound used for the purposes of the survey, and not the 6000 year
figure commonly believed.

As to whether Republicans are synonymous with conservatives, that party
claims it is conservative.  Of course the label conservative is one that
individuals can claim or reject, but party affiliation is something that can
be documented, so the poll is done by affiliation.  A 17% spread between
Dems and Reps is very significant, so I would hardly call citing the 59%
cherry picking.   So the idea that the majority of conservatives buy into
anti-scientific ideas is really true.  But the fact that around 46% of all
Americans buy into this nonsense is equally scandalous.  It is no wonder
Europeans consider us backward.

Just because you and your friends are conservative, but not anti-science
does not show that what I contend is false.  We all tend to interact with
educated people who tend to be scientific.  After all only 26% of
postgraduate individuals believe in the 6000 year special creation.  Anyone
on this list who has such a belief will tend to hide it except when with
like minded individuals.  Everyone puts on a mask to hide things from
friends.  And don't forget that adherence to the 19th century religious
ideas is actually conservative by definition.  I even knew a PhD physics
candidate who adhered to the 6000 year special creation myth.

In TX it is very regional.  The Houston, and Austin areas do not have
problems with science.  But go North of Houston, and you get into a very
conservative area where the fundamentalist interpretation is very prevalent,
and teachers are afraid to teach evolution.  The towns with major
universities are oasis in this area.  I suspect you can find similar things
in all states, but the state board of education in states like NY would
severely censure a teacher who taught anything other than correct science.
But in TX and LA religious interpretations are pushed in schools, to the
detriment of science education.

I have interacted with enough of the scientifically irrational individuals
that I know how dangerous this can be.  They want "TRUTH" taught in the
schools, and can not see that what they want is "their truth" taught.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> OK--here's the scientific lesson in all of this--HOW TO 
> CHERRY-PICK THE DATA.
>
> The survey has 46% of all Americans believing in the 10,000 
> year human creation with 41% of Democrats and 39% of 
> Independents along with the 58% of Republicans (no mention of 
> 'conservative'.)  If you want to define humans as 
> homo-sapiens that time line is wrong, but not ridiculously 
> wrong.  It is still a sad commentary especially the 
> postgraduate and college graduate figures, but JCs post is a distorted
> (biased?) view of the very article referenced.