Darwin Losing in the Polls (bad news for Darwin's Bicentennial "Celebration")

CEH ^ | January 12, 2009

[GodGunsGuts]

Darwin Losing in the Polls

Feb 12, 2009 — Many scientists are celebrating Darwin as the greatest scientist in history on his Bicentennial, but public support for his theory is slipping. A new Zogby poll shows significant erosion over the past few years over the question of whether evolution only should be taught, and a new Gallup poll shows only a minority believe in evolution.

The results of the Zogby poll are explained on Evolution News with graphs. The demographics indicate that it is not just church-goers who support academic freedom to teach the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory; a large majority of those calling themselves liberals, college grads and Democrats also responded affirmative to the question, “Would you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree that teachers and students should have the academic freedom to discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of evolution as a scientific theory?” Young adults were among the strongest in agreement.

Evolution News in another article pointed out that the poll shows support for teaching “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution has risen 9 percentage points since a similar poll in 2006....

[GodGunsGuts]

“...dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom....”

—Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863.

“But then with me the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would any one trust in the convictions of a monkey's mind, if there are any convictions in such a mind?”

—Charles Darwin, Letter to William Graham, 1881. Died 1882.

[GodGunsGuts]

Darwin Bicentennial Ping!

[GodGunsGuts]

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

A Proclamation.

Whereas, on the twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, a proclamation was issued by the, people of the world, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:

That on the twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine,
all Darwin doubters held as captives within any scientific community or designated
part of an academic institution, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion
against the Darwin Party, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the
administration of any institution, including the hiring and firing authority thereof,
will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or
acts to expel such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for
their actual freedom of inquiry.

That on this day, hereby to be designated Academic Freedom Day, that inquiries
into the actual nature of the living things, including their design, and their
functional information, and their origins, shall henceforth be decoupled from any
and all slavish requirement of metaphysical naturalism, or any other such limits
on free and honest investigation toward following the evidence where it leads, as
befits the quest to discover and understand the sources and operations of nature.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the
principles of noble science, upon academic necessity, I invoke the considerate
judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

Witnesseth,

The Spirit of A. Lincoln
Academic Freedom Day

[Pox]

Dumbest poll question of the year to date.

A better question would have been:

Should Evolution and Creationism be taught in public schools?

Those results would be much more interesting than a question that actually reflects what Darwin proposed in the first place.

[MoreGovLess]

anti-science folks are almost as good at playing the victim card as Liberals

[SparkyBass]

That's because DEVOlution is the ONLY option!

[TerP26]

Evolution should be taught in school. Creationism should be taught in sunday school. If parents dont like it, home school your children.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

How does this mean Darwin is ‘losing’ in the Polls? Just because people support the academic freedom to debate the strengths and weaknesses of his theory and those of ID, doesn’t mean they support ID instead of evolution.
I mean, everyone should support academic freedom, right? Doesn’t mean you can’t think some of the theories being discussed aren’t a load of contrived rubbish....

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Incidently, I wonder if Darwin himself would have agreed with the idea that his idea should be the only one discussed and that ID should be banned from discourse. I doubt it....

[MoreGovLess]

I clarify further: evolution should be taught in science class. Creation should be taught in religion class.

[js1138]

Losing at the polls means a scientific theory is wrong?

That implies that Republicans losing elections means conservatism is wrong.

[MoreGovLess]

you forget that Republicans are not conservative

[Iron Munro]

Evolution should be taught in school. Creationism should be taught in sunday school.

I always liked the first part of evolution where random minerals evolved into living tissue.

It's almost like a miracle, isn't it?

[mountainbunny]

Evolution should be taught in school. Creationism should be taught in sunday school. If parents dont like it, home school your children.

I homeschool (and teach evolution, for the record) and could not agree with you more.

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin!

[ucantbserious]

I always liked the first part of evolution where random minerals evolved into living tissue.

You're confusing evolution by means of natural selection with abiogenesis. Evolution states simply that populations change over time.

Re: the poll in the article... truth isn't decided by a vote.

[WildcatClan]

I thought the article was going to be about a opinion poll taken on the greatest scientists. I haven’t read anything touting Darwin as the greatest scientist. I wouldn’t even place him in the top 100 using those parameters of determination I think valid.

I do not care one bit whether anyone ever learns about evolution or not. The theory produces nothing of value nor is it likely ever to do so. I suppose I see the best scientific discovery as that which is beneficial to mankind and moves us forward and not that which has little or no benefit and mires us in the time and chance of ooze.

[stanz]

This is absolutely unequivocally untrue. But what does one expect from a Creationist website?
There are Darwin Bicentennial celebrations going on all over the world and in the US as we speak.

[NucSubs]

It is...that is why it is the basis of Theistic evolution.

[js1138]

Here ya go: the numbers behind the numbers.

Looks like a couple of trends to me,based on age and education.

[Jeff Gordon]

The scientific method does not include the use of polls as proof of a theory.