He blames the influence of Christian fundamentalists in America....
Rather misleading when you read up on this foundation:
You can't measure a rate of evolution. You can't predict what will evolve next. It loses believers as it fails to provide utility.
Science is not done via polls. Science is done by scientists.
Polling people regarding scientific questions is a waste of time.
The drop in "belief" in evolution is most likely due to the increase in islamomaniacs, who share with Christians a certain suspicion of science, particularly biological science.
As to whether the Theory of Evolution depends on popular "belief" to be considered the consensus theory in biology... well, we all know the answer to that one, even those of us who don't want to admit it.
It's hard to imagine anyone calling Dr. Stephen Hawking a Christian fundamentalist. He is a pre-eminent theoretical physicist. (I am a less-than-eminent psychologist with a great deal of skepticism about religious and scientific dogma).
Hawking pointed out that the "big bang" theory central to evolutionary thought could only be true if we contradict all known laws of physics. He also pointed out that extremely minute changes in the weights of different atoms would have made the carbon molecule impossible. In other words, human life could not exist.
Other scientists have pointed out that the theory of evolution cannot explain the development of the human neuron. The point is that evolution/mutation likely plays a role in species development, but there are huge gaps that the theory cannot explain.
The other point is that it seems intellectually dishonest to discredit Intelligent Design as an alternative or even enhancement to the theory of evolution.
I think the rise of Islam is going to convince a lot of people that evolution is crap
Sadly, I see dumbing down isn't limited to the US.
What gets me is this isn't malicious -- just misguided.
Before I even read the post, I somehow knew the Guardian would want to blame this on Bush and America.
It looks like the dumbing of youth is happening in the UK as well as the USA.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: The intenet is doing to evolution "theory" what it did to Dan Rather.
Ann Coulter is doing her part too.
The reasonable questions are swamping the evo apologists.
All the Kings Scientists and all the Kings Monkeys can't put Humpty Darwin together again.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
Shalom Israel
SPOTREP
Excellent!!
Seeing that the Muzzies are running amok and gaining control, how could one believe in 'evolution'?
Any woman who has had a child grow in her belly knows that life is a total miracle -- a creation of God!
The persistence of Islam...a 7th century ideology used for behavior control...that leaves its adherents with little to no oppportunity to compete successfully in the modern world..is, IMHO, one of the greatest arguments against evolution, :)
Fortunately for science, belief in evolution is not a factor in use of evolution in scientific communication. The debate on belief in evolution is what should be considered 'small talk,' topics that are not gone into in depth.
The UK isn't exactly the portrait of an evangelical nation full of masses living according to scripture. I'd say it has more to do with the rise in the hyper-politization of areas of science that inevitably produces skepticism when they go too far and the "everybody knows that it is a fact" statements start to ring untrue. The turning point for each person could be anything from Global warming/cooling or psychology theories de jour or even the overhyping of the preventative qualities of bran. After too many of these "known scientific virtual facts" prove to have been incorrect conclusions some people naturally wonder what else is wrongly being declared as a given.