Did you know that only approximately half of the US population "believes" in evolution? Often times you will hear that evolution is only a theory. Usually this statement is made by people who in fact do not "believe" in evolution. The problem with defending a "non-belief" in evolution with this statement is that gravity is also technically defined as a theory, however I doubt most of these people would dispute which direction an apple would go if it suddenly broke free from a tree. I could just as easily say that I do not believe in gravity because it is only a theory. That statement sounds ridiculous and I don't think I could convince anyone to take my position on the issue of gravity with that argument. Here are a few other interesting statistics that I took from http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_publi.htm. Only 41% of high school graduates agree with the theory of evolution. About 50% of individuals with a college education agree with evolution and 74% of people with post graduate degrees "believe" in evolution. I find these statistics very interesting.Why is it that the probability that someone will agree with the theory of evolution increase as the amount of education they possess increases? My contention is that the reason for these statistics can be one of two options or a combination of the two. First off, one could argue that the general population of the US isn't all that bright and that education in effect pares down the amount of "dullards" in the group and you are left with a fairly intelligent group. The second possible option is the the American school system is extremely unsuccessful in properly explaining and teaching exactly what evolution is. Very rarely have I ever encountered a person who does not "believe" in evolution who actually has a firm grasp of what exactly evolution is all about. The evidence in support of the theory of evolution is overwhelming. If anyone feels the need to start a debate on the topic I am more than willing to discuss the matter.
I'll be the first to admit that evolution may not be a perfect theory, but the theory of evolution is currently the theory that does the best job of explaining all of the data. In the future it is possible that a new theory will surface that will do an even better job of explaining the same processes that evolution currently explain. This is the way that science works. You always have to be open to the possibility of reviewing and amending previous ideas when new data or ideas are found or expressed. My question to all of you is, why does only half of the US population "believe" in evolution? Is it that the American people are not the brightest people or has it been a failure on the part of the education system?
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It's interesting that even the end of Sean B. Carrol's book The Making of the Fittest, he discusses how the theory of evolution does not negate the possibility of a creator and therefore rejecting it on the basis of belief in G-d or gods seems unnecessary. He also goes through the holes in the theories people use to dismiss evolution rather eloquently pointing out their flawed logic. So why so many Americans would claim that evolution does not exist baffles me. What comfort does it provide for them?
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