Friday, March 28, 2014

USA Is An Outlier for Rich and Stupid

7 comments:

Yohji said...

I have my doubts on this picture. It looks like they're using older data from around 2005 (the only study I could find with numbers similar to this graph). I recall reading recently that America and Britain were similar in numbers in belief (America being slightly worse) at something like 42 and 46%, whereas this graph shows the UK far higher on the belief scale than the US. I'm coming up blank on studies that are sooner than 2009, though 2009 studies have similar numbers to the 42 and 46% for UK and America, but still wish I could find the more recent one. Not saying the US's belief in evolution isn't amazingly pathetic, I'm only saying that we're not the only lonely, moronic dot down there.

PBurns said...

What?!!! You're saying we're not "special" in a short yellow bus kind of way? Might be true. On cell so I cannot use my tools, but found this graph which is also interesting. Will source this one later today. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_support_for_evolution

PBurns said...

The source is actually on the graphic on the right -- an August 2006 survey that appeared in Science, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Income data from CIA World Fact Book (available on line for free). The drawing itself was done by Tony Piro and can be found here >> http://www.calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=559 and is also available as a poster here >> http://www.spiffystudios.com/evolution-poster/

Peter Apps said...

Is there a graph for how many people understand the difference between development - which happens during the lifetime of an individual - and evolution which is a multi-generational, population level process ? The correct answer to the question as posed on the graph is "False" - give America some credit.

PBurns said...

Peter, the graph is not asking a question. And what you have written is pretty close to jibberish. Please do not try to impress me by explaining it. I actually get it. It simply has nothing to do with this post, does it? Fewer rabbit chases please!

Peter Apps said...

Hi Patrick

The graph presents the results of asking people the question; "Human beings as we know them developed from earlier species of animals. True or False ?". This appears in the text to the immediate right of the graph.

Humans do not develop from earlier species of animals. Humans did evolve from earlier species of animals.

The idea of the surveys reported in the 2006 Science article was to probe public understanding of biology, and evolution in particular, but they did a very poor job of wording this question, because a biologist and a backwoods bible thumper would give the same answer.

PBurns said...

Peter, you are so busy trying to be smart, you are wrong again. All species descend from, or develop from, earlier species. All animals descend from earlier species of animals. No, modern man did not develop from monkeys, but from earlier homo species, which go back to earlier versions, etc. But did man (an animal) descend from earlier species of animals (a homo species)? Yes. Discussion over.