Attempting to inject a bit of humor into this...
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/uc/20070212/ltr070212.gif
Chris
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John Kulig wrote:
Peter & Christopher:
Actually, I am rather amazed at the % of people here and in the UK
who are OK with creationism (or other "alternatives"). But there are
some interesting findings:
67% of Americans are comfortable with BOTH evolution as well as
creationism http://www.physorg.com/news7500.html.
According to Pew Research, 42% of Americans beleve in creationism,
while 48% favored evolution over time (compare to BBC poll below)
http://www.livescience.com/othernews/ap_050901_evo_polls.html
Harris polling shows a strong political, age and regional effect.
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=581
A majority of Kansans want evolution to continue in the classroom:
http://www.6newslawrence.com/news/2005/oct/09/poll_evolution_should_be_taught_schools/
<http://www.6newslawrence.com/news/2005/oct/09/poll_evolution_should_be_taught_schools/%20%22Sixty-six>
"
<http://www.6newslawrence.com/news/2005/oct/09/poll_evolution_should_be_taught_schools/%20%22Sixty-six>
BUT, the data from the UK, while more symapathic overall to Darwinian
evolution, shows a fairly high % favorable to creationism
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4648598.stm
From the BBC poll [What] best described their view of the origin and
development of life?
* 22% chose creationism
* 17% opted for intelligent design
* 48% selected evolution theory
* and the rest did not know.
From the BBC poll: [W]hich one or ones they would like to see taught
in science lessons in British schools?
* 44% said creationism should be included
* 41% intelligent design
* 69% wanted evolution as part of the science curriculum (<-- BY
ITSELF, no different than the Kansas poll)
My reading of all this is that alot of Americans do not have a clear
perspective on the issue and opt for "let's include both" as a
result. In fact, a high % of Kansans (I forgot the %) said they didn't
have a clear definition of "intelligent design." I have always
considered the intelligent design as similar to the "argument from
design" argument which is as old as Darwin himself (i.e. a half-formed
adaptation offers no survival advantage).
I'm actually more disturbed over the Roe/Wade findings which show only
a slight edge of support
(http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=659)
-----------------------------
John W. Kulig
Professor of Psychology
Director, Psychology Honors
Plymouth State University
Plymouth NH 03264
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