Understanding Evolution

[inkstersco]

Are you really 27? you look 19.

I have never met anyone who disagrees with evolutionary theory, who also understands it to the relevant extent. It's not a matter of making people agree. It's a matter of making people understand. The agreement flows from that.

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[Sannit]

Okay, yeah, I'm not really 27. But I'm older than 19. Maybe I should be more honest in my online profiles.

And I definitely agree with your point there. People who make crocoduck arguments aren't actually arguing against evolution, but an evolution-like straw man. And good luck finding someone who doesn't believe in mutation/inheritance/natural selection.

[GetMeThere1]

I can say only that astrology continues to have hordes of adherents even though almost no children are indoctrinated into it from birth, and despite no overarching social encouragement toward belief.

People (especially "rich" westernized people) continue in a life so easy that they can afford a great deal of delusion--while continuing to eat well. That being the case, there isn't much reason to expect significant change.

[Sannit]

You make a good point. And religion does have more staying power than, say, geocentrism, simply because thinking the earth is the center of the solar system (terrar system? Sounds frightening. And incorrect.) has nothing to do with morality or threatened banishment to hell.

Astrology can stick around while we learn more about the stars; in that sense, religion can stick around while we learn more about evolution. But then I believe they're compatible, and it's possible I'm wrong about that.

[Sannit]

But you're right about how much delusion we can afford today (a ton). I'd just like to point out that it's ironic that this "no need to hunt our food" lifestyle that helps us make room for science also allows us to ignore it.

[Ansonidak]

Will the general public in the USA accept evolution in time? Yes. How long will it take? Ask me again November 5th. I was lucky in that I had an outstanding biology teacher in 9th grade(in 1970). Evolution theory was integrated into his lesson plans just as it should be. For many years I thought creationists were lunatic fringe like flat earthers. It really wasn't until I became active on You Tube that I realized how many people actually believed it.

[VivoVitamBonam]

My 11th grade bio teacher was fantastic as well. He emphasized, to a class that was largely Bible-belt-styled-Christian, the fact that one needs to understand evolution in order to get biology at all. That pretty much forced the class to put the effort into learning it - I think successfully.

[VivoVitamBonam]

Two months later, I, Vivo, have discovered that my boyfriend was responding to comments while I was still signed in.

e_e