The Good News: only 4% of Americans think ID alone should be taught.

[BurtWorm]

(ID = Intelligent Design)

The bad news: 23% think creationism should be taught.

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2005/08/index.html#007474


THE EVOLUTION PROBLEM. Praise the Lord, a liberal who's not me -- namely Mark Kleiman -- has taken a look at the public opinion data on evolution and education:

Teaching evolution only 12
Teaching creation only 23
Teaching intelligent design only 4
Teaching all three 55
None of these 3
Unsure 3

It often comes about in life that the right thing to do isn't the popular one, but people who hold correct-but-unpopular views would do well to think seriously about their tactics. When George W. Bush and Bill Frist had their respective "teach the controversy" moments, it seemed to me that most liberal bloggers took these as moments to simply point, sneer, and mock. But it's not such a great idea to mock a guy who has 55 percent of the public on his side when you have only 12 percent on yours. The evolution-only view is less popular than gay marriage, less popular than the abolition of the death penalty, and generally speaking one of the very least popular liberal cultural causes. We need to take this seriously and actually persuade some people -- or, rather, a lot of people -- that we're right.
--Matthew Yglesias

Posted at 09:33 AM

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

1. This is NOT a popularity or opinion contest. There is only ONE question

Only ONE question that is relevant re: ID being taught in science class: Does it present proven methodology that meets the standards of the established scientific community?

[Dudley_DUright]

2. As a scientist, I see very little difference between

creationism and ID anyway.

[Beetwasher]

3. *sigh* This Makes Me Want To Leave This Stupid Fucking Country

That is more pathetic than words can describe.

[charlie]

4. 55% have no problem with all three

being taught... holeeee crap!

Some days I just feel like giving up. This is one of them. Goddamn.

[The Revolution]

8. I know what you mean.

I've been feeling that way today too. This assault on science and reason has to stop.

[teach1st]

5. I guess I'd better rethink my instruction

I'm going to have to start teaching creationism. I'll start with the Hopi creation myths.

[Jim Sagle]

6. Yeah, but Dumbshit Design scores a whopping 62%.

It's the intelligent part they don't like. :-)

[jljamison]

7. well 2% of americans

believe they have been abducted by aliens. should we conclude these people are only half as wacky as the alien-abductees?

[wli]

9. time to emigrate ASAP n/t