How utterly ignorant can the general population be?

Question

This is a question I just read:
Cereal_Killa
8 minutes ago


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how long would it take for a monkey to evolve.?
to a human


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Even better here's an answer to that question:

Jennifer W
4 minutes ago


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It will not happen. If the world has been around as long as science wants us to think it has, then monkeys would have evolved by now. Visit www.khouse.org and check out downloads regarding evolution.

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Is this how Christians and other theists perceive evolution? If so I can see now why they don't believe it. They have misconstrued it so badly that it has 'evolved' into a completely new theory. LOL.

Seriously though, what kind of work can these people do with such a complete lack of formal education?

Even better still, here is an answer to my own post:



rltouhe
2 minutes ago


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Forever because no monkey has ever evolved. If so, they would still be evolving into men and they aren't. Many are very disillusioned.

Answer 1

i think they're confused on how evolution works.....

Answer 2

The answer to your question is that the general population has the intellect of a 5th grader. Think 10 years old.
Personally, I think the average 5th grader is smarter than some of the people I run into on a daily basis. Like the lady who wears a see-through gown to the QT for beer and cigarettes. Or the guy who hangs out on the street corner with a sign that says :
"Homeless-- Hep me", but he has enough money for new shoes, cigarettes, beer, and a dog, because some other idiot gave him money. Or the knuckleheads on this site that can't hit the "spell-check" button. No self-respecting child would act like that.
And you don't need any education when you already have all the "right" answers.
Lots of people have a hard time having questions, or discomfort, or not having everything tied up in a little package for them. Often, the education/intellectual level of a person is equal to how comfortable he/she is with unanswered questions.

Answer 3

Their confusion is the only rational explanation for why creationists (or IDers) believe this tripe.

It is not malicious, it is not stupidity. It is pure and utter ignorance. I lay the fault at the feet of folks like Hamm and Hovind, IRC and all those groups. People who generally DO know what evolution is, but pervert it for their respective masses.

I cannot believe most folks are stupid enough to reject the elegant logic and reasoning behind evolution, and based on posts like this, it is evident it is derived from a strawman theory of evolution and other sciences.

At least I certainly hope that to be the case. Otherwise, I would cry for humanity in the face of such inane comments.

Answer 4

Apparently a trait that is not needed for survival anymore is common sense.

I work with several fundamentalists - aged 18 to 50. One will continually affirm there is absolutely no proof of evolution. Another just says I am just science minded - like it's a bad thing. Around here they don't even require basic biology to graduate high school. They worry about religion taught in schools but the only place they get science is in the misconstrued teachings of the church.

Answer 5

I'm a grad student in the middle of a PhD in History and Literature. And let me tell you, people with a "formal education" can be dingbats. I'm speaking of the faculty of my university. They are some of the most sheltered, ignorant, condescending, and self-righteous people I have ever met. They have no idea how the real world operates, yet they sit in their ivory tower and make sweeping judgements about "the great unwashed." Meanwhile, they're pissed because they make no money, and they see their "inferiors" out in the real world making 2 or 3 times the money that they do.

They are part of the reason I took a temporary leave of absence, and what a welcome relief. Don't be so quick to worship those who have a "formal education." They ain't all that.

Answer 6

They're confussed. They mistake "theory" for "belief" and they're used to believing things without proof. They think faith equals proof.

here's one from this morning from TigerLilly:
(copied verbatum) "I don't believe the universe is the result of a big bang, it's just too random, plus where is all the other intelligent life that came from other "big bangs?" Surely we aren't the only ones....And I sure didn't evolve from a monkey. I still haven't heard an answer to the age-old question....if we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys??? Why is it so hard to believe we have a Creator?"

Very sad, the education system has truly failed.

Answer 7

The question doesn't make sense and the answer makes even less sense.


Ignorance of general population is boundless, it will always suprise you.

My personal opinion is that if philosophy was taught at an early age, like begin when the children are learning how to add, then when they grow up they will be much more capable of thinking for themselves and talking semi complicated issues all on their own without having someone else tell them their opinion.

Answer 8

How utterly ignorant can the general population be? Hmmm... ignorance pertains to lack of knowledge. I think there's more to it than that. It has more to do with not knowing how to think properly... else, how would they able to believe things like...

*  a universe in which all that exists are the earth and heaven
*  solid 'firmmament' structure (the sky) seperating the earth from heaven (terrarium earth)
*  talking snakes and donkeys
*  demons chased out of people and into pigs
*  friendly spirits
*  evil spirits
*  walking on water
*  multiplying loaves and fishes
*  people raising from the dead
*  stopping the sun in its tracks
*  parting seas
*  people being bodily sucked up into heaven (which, by the way, lies on the 'other side' of the sky)
*  world-wide flood that drowned the earth to a depth of 40 feet above the tallest mountain
*  creating people from dust bunnies and ribs
*  magical tree of knowledge
*  god speaking from a burning bush
*  ritual cannibalism, by eating god in the form of a cracker.

There are about 20 studies, conducted over a period of 80 years, that reveal a statistically significant NEGATIVE correlation between intelligence and religiosity. In plainer language, they found that the more intelligent a person is, the LESS likely he is to be religious.

If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. Intelligence tests mainly provide an indication of reasoning ability and problem solving ability... critical thought. These are the very qualities that see through religion, and recognize it for what it is; i.e., religion cannot survive the glaring light of reason and critical thought. This was well understood by important figures in religious history. This is why the early church destroyed all the writings that were in conflict with dogma, such as Greek philosophical, medical and mathematical knowledge... which led directly to the Dark Ages.

Just to illustrate the point, let's see what Martin Luther, the 'father' of protestantism, had to say about it:

"Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and ... know nothing but the word of God." ~ Martin Luther

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but -- more frequently than not -- struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." ~ Martin Luther

"There is on earth among all dangers no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroit reason... Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed." ~ Martin Luther

"Reason should be destroyed in all Christians." ~ Martin Luther

So, you see... religion is nothing more than a business... in fact, it is the world's longest running and most successful Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scam. But, it only works on those who are dumb enough to fall for it. However, there are a lot more people who DON'T know how to think than there are people who DO know how to think. That is why there are a lot more religious people in the USA than there are 'tree-thinkers'... including Atheists.

Answer 9

I have a job and a formal education. BS in Business Administration from Rutgers University in Camden NJ Class of 2001. And I was taught various theories of evolution and the age of the earth and where we "came from" in highschool like everyone was, and I still believe God created us.

Answer 10

There's nothing sadder than someone trying to disprove something when they have no idea what they're talking about and use outdatedreligious psuedo logic. These people sound like 3 year olds trying to explain rocket science. The sad part is they are adults. It's so pathetic. You will never get anywhere with people like this.

How do these people get through one day without hurting themselves?

Answer 11

Do you mean ignorant or stupid?
Definitions: ignorant is unlettered, or uneducated. Stupid is doing the wrong thing even though you know it's wrong.
Answer to the ignorance question--as ignorant as they are allowed or encouraged to be. Education is mostly optional, except where government corrupts or restricts it. You can learn from life, you know, if you understand that this is a desirable thing to do.
Stupidity--is inherent, so there's no real cure for that but religion--if you pick the right one.