ForumsWEPRAmericans believing in evolution

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TheRazefan
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TheRazefan
2 posts
Nomad

Before reading the rest of this think to yourself a guess ratio of how many americans you think don't believe in evolution. By ratio I mean something like 8 in 10 dogs eat pizza.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/30/evolution-survey_n_4519441.html
1 in 3 americans don't believe in evolution
How do you react to this?

I don't find it surprising, from a lot of the stuff I see around society its pretty believable that this would be the statistic.

What was your guessed ratio? Were you surprised by this fact?
Do you believe in evolution?
Discuss

  • 22 Replies
EmperorPalpatine
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EmperorPalpatine
9,439 posts
Jester

It should be noted that just because that 1/3 don't believe in it, that doesn't mean the 2/3 rest necessarily accept it to be true.

According to the article, 1/3 agreed with "Humans existed in present form since beginning". 60% agreed with "Humans have evolved over time". Of the latter, 53.3% (32/60) agreed with "Evolution due to natural process", while 40% (24/60) agreed with "Supreme being guided evolution".
NWOTSM
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NWOTSM
13 posts
Shepherd

evolution in the right sense of word is correct. looking behind this concept to see whats there doesnt validate or invalidate it. it just raises more questions which involves more the etymology of evolution cuase the understanding of objective world goes hand in hand with the interpretation of terms.

ps: im not an english speaker, hope u dont go grammar nazi on me or ****s like that cause i dint tried to be smart with anyone, just said my opinion. at least a part of it because the things are more complicated and some places even boring(for who thinks he knows...) than what i said above.

pangtongshu
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pangtongshu
9,808 posts
Jester

evolution in the right sense of word is correct. looking behind this concept to see whats there doesnt validate or invalidate it. it just raises more questions which involves more the etymology of evolution cuase the understanding of objective world goes hand in hand with the interpretation of terms


Um..what? Could you explain more?

I fail to see what etymology has to do with evolution..
NWOTSM
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NWOTSM
13 posts
Shepherd

Um..what? Could you explain more?

I fail to see what etymology has to do with evolution..


then replace "the etymology of evolution" with interpretation of word evolution.
i said etymology(a basic method of etymology is, comparation, also a main principle of how our brain works) in the context of asking 100 ppl what evolution is and gettin 100 answers.
anyway, the term of evolution is not well settled. it represents something, lets say a series of processes, which are correct. but just by extending the propriety of this term over anything what can be explaind through that series of processes doesnt mean "anything" is or confirms evolution. and all this assuming the factors involved in "anything" are known. not to mention that the roots of the word/theory/whatever evolution were greatly altered in some parts of the world by religion and so on, its a lil more complicated.

about the survey, i have nothing else to say. pointless from my point of view, maybe even made and published in comercial purposes. didnt accessed the article but i have a good idea where this type of craps are gettin at....
pangtongshu
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pangtongshu
9,808 posts
Jester

then replace "the etymology of evolution" with interpretation of word evolution.


um...what?

I'm not sure if you know this, but "evolution" has been pretty well established for -quite- some time now.

in the context of asking 100 ppl what evolution is and gettin 100 answers.


This is like the word "theory" in scientific aspect. Just because the general populous fails to know the meaning or definition doesn't mean their definition is the correct one or -a- correct one.
FishPreferred
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FishPreferred
3,171 posts
Duke

If I understood correctly, NWOTSM is talking about "the semantics of evolution", and how the results of a poll are not always accurate representations of public opinion, because people interpret the question in different ways.

A poignant example of this occurred when a US poll stated that 25% of Americans doubted the occurrence of the holocaust. When the poll was rephrased more clearly, it indicated that only 1% had that doubt.

pangtongshu
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pangtongshu
9,808 posts
Jester

[quote]A poignant example of this occurred when a US poll stated that 25% of Americans doubted the occurrence of the holocaust. When the poll was rephrased more clearly, it indicated that only 1% had that doubt.[quote]

I'm really curious to know how they originally asked it to create such a astonishing number...

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