Ignorance out of control

Oy. There's a recent gallup poll which shows some odd results on the acceptance of the theory of evolution versus belief in literal creationism. Some of the results, unfortunately, seem to indicate that the attempt by the "intelligent design" crowd has had its desired result of confusing folks.

Essentially, the polls seem to indicate that acceptance of evolution is a 50/50 proposal, intimately linked, unsurprisingly, with religious belief and behavior. Interestingly enough, another recent poll indicates that only about a third of Americans accept the literal veracity of every bit of the Bible. Unfortunately, the folks who wish to spread disinformation on scientific methods and evidence have been highly successful. Our schools are failing us - barely giving children the basics of literacy, and certainly not real scientific literacy.

How many of the people questioned understand the scientific method? That question wasn't asked. How many of the people asked could explain their beliefs in their own words? That also wasn't asked. Unfortunately, they're questions we need answers to.

Deliberate ignorance

One of the things that just about anyone who lives in or near a tourist town grows accustomed to is that you end up playing tour guide pretty regularly. Visiting friends and family will ask what's good and what isn't, how to get places, and so on and so forth. And then, of course, there are the lost tourists. "No, ma'am, you can still catch the right train. Just get off of this one and the next one on the track will take you there. If you can, sit facing forward on the left and you'll see a really great view of the monuments when you cross the river." I've given advice on the proper train station to take to get to the zoo, the Smithsonian museums, and somewhere good for dinner.

So yesterday, when my husband found himself helping a lost tourist and her son, he was pretty used to the situation. "No, ma'am, the Smithsonian doesn't cost to get in. If you've paid your taxes, you've helped to support the Smithsonian." And then she asked for advice - where should she take her young son who likes to run around? Well, of course, there's always the zoo - wide open and built on Rock Creek Gorge, so plenty of terrain to wear him out. Oh, and there are animals to see, too. But there's a storm coming soon, so you might want to consider some of the indoor stuff to see. The Natural History Museum is fun and has an elephant right by the main entrance.

And then she asked the question that floored him. "Does it have a lot of evolution in there?"

And when he told me the story, I found myself wanting to respond - Yes, and conservation of momentum, gravity, and basic thermodynamics, too. If you want to avoid the "evolution" bits, consider heading for the anthropological exhibits, the hall of minerals, and the cafeteria. I believe the elephant is "safe", though you probably want to avoid the dinosaurs and the ancient seas exhibits. Or maybe you just want to avoid anything that might help your son to think for himself, in which case, I heartily recommend the play area at McDonalds.

Gah!

How much else of interest is she avoiding by wishing to avoid one scientific theory?