Why are people so uneducated on Evolution?

Question

How is it possible that people can be so uneducated about evolution? How is it that people actually think that we came from Monkeys? I mean evolution has been proven! I have spent 8 years studying it and my girlfriend is an Evolutionary biologist! I mean we have seen the fossils...we see the proof everyday in our studies...how can people be so misled? And if you don't believe in evolution how far would you be willing to go to have it proven to you?
* a little side note, the other day I was arguing with a Creationist and he was sending me references from the 1950's and he actually thought they were still used.

I sent out a few Emails on this one so check your inboxes. Another thing I have noticed is that...how can Theists even use the phrase " there is no evidence" I mean seriously guys...Do we even need to bring that up?

Answer 1

Because they are not educated. Because Christians feel threatened by the truth and do everything they can to stop children (even those who are not belonging to them) from learning the truth that proves the bible nothing more than a fairytale. Some believe that because it is called The Theory of Evolution that it is not factual. Gravity is also considered a theory!

Answer 2

It really is disturbing, isn't it? I suppose we can blame a variety of factors. For one thing, we aren't exactly leading the world in the education of math and sciences. Also, school districts and individual teachers are terrified to teach evolution because of all the fundamentalists sitting on the board. For the most part, however, I'd have to chalk it up to a general fear that admitting that evolution is real will compromise their support of a literal interpretation of the Bible and to the huge amount of misinformation and blatant propaganda put out by right-wing Christian "think tanks" (and I use the term facetiously here.) Given that evolutionary theory is not something that you can simply apply "common sense" to (Don't you just love all the people who think we descended from monkeys and then use their "common sense" to deduce that this can't be true because monkeys haven't evolved into something else? -- talk about a straw man argument!!!), fighting misinformation over evolution is an uphill battle.

Of course, it might help some if a few more evolutionary scientists would get more involved in the debate. The majority of them are afraid to sully their hands in a futile attempt to convince rabid fundamentalists that there is such an overwhelming amount of evidence in support of evolution that only someone in complete denial who is belligerent to any truth that opposes his faith could ignore it. I can't say I blame the scientists, to be honest. Although we've answered very specific questions about evolutionary theory here on Yahoo time and time again, and often in great detail, you still get people like the guys above who don't have a clue and will only give you about half a second to "splain it all to them" in a way they understand. But they'll never understand, because they don't want to.

Nevertheless, it is essential that the youth of this nation receive a better education in the sciences (among other things) if we as a nation hope to carry on as an economic power in the future. Not only should it be mandatory for all public high school students to spend at least a good six weeks on evolution; college students should be required to study an entire semester of it, as well. And while we're at it, let's teach these kids how to argue rationally, analyze data, and recognize logical fallacies (like the straw man argument) when they see them!

To Jonathon: See the link below for a few images of Neanderthal Man fossils. It took me about three seconds to locate it. There are plenty more links where that one came from if you google it. Apparently you're not really interested in researching the issue or you would have figure that out yourself already.

Answer 3

The biggest problem i feel is that it is largely ignored by religious people because it is perceived as a threat to their core beliefs. If not only ignored by them, then actively fought against for the same reason. To the moderates who are most likely to be open to it and the non religious who have no vested interest at all in ignoring any part of science that isn't obvious flim-flam the blame can be laid squarely on inadequate schooling. I certainly can't remember any of the lessons on evolution from my middle and highschool days. It consisted of a week of very basic instruction from textbooks that offered very little on the state of the art in sciences. Pretty much all of what i know about evolution now is due to my own personal investigation and study.

Inadequate education + willful ignorance = a bad situation for some ideas, regardless of their importance to us.

Answer 4

Do sheep question the shepherd about why they're being led to a certain pasture? The answer is obviously NO!
Now replace sheep with "members of organized religion" replace shepherd with "doctrine or dogma" and substitute "ignorance" for the word pasture.

Over the years I have found that sheep are a good metaphor when it comes to religious groups. Think about it... sheep don't question anything they follow where they are led, the same is true for people who are led into ignorance and encouraged to remain ignorant. It is not because evolution tries in any way to disprove the existence of god/s.... science has never claimed that. Religion claims that evolution is a threat and a lie created by science to threaten their "faith" , then they tell all the followers that and just like sheep they follow where they are led. Why? because religion inherently encourages an attitude of blind acceptance, because its followers have to have faith in the existence of god/s without proof. This creates an unhealthy lack of curiosity and dims the thirst for knowledge.... because they already have an explanation for everything "It was god/s will". Its alot easier to walk around thinking you know everything, than it is to admit your ignorance and search for knowledge to correct that.. People are uneducated about evolution because our various religious cultures cultivate that attitude.

Answer 5

The dirty little secret is that outside of states that have attempted first outright bans on teaching evolution, and later to have creationism/ID taught, all the other schools have been forced to accept watered down textbooks that short-change this fundamental biological theory.

In the 1980s, Christian zealots got elected (strategically) to school boards in Texas and California - the two largest textbook markets in the country. Whatever Texas and California say they want from the textbook publishers, they get. And so, coincidentally, does the rest of the U.S. Those school boards forced through massive cuts in the lessons on evolution (now, it is hardly a mention in many textbooks). The rest, as they say, is history!

Answer 6

So if the evidence from the 1950s is not used anymore how do we know the evidence from today will be used in 50 years from now. If it is all so "proven" why is it always changing? Why are people so uneducated about evolution. Because not everyne has a girlfrend who is an evolutionary biologist or have spent 8 years studying it. I have spent 50 years studying the Bible and I think evolutionists are very uneducated in understanding God and creation. HEY we all have a right to our own opinions. Funny thing is evolutionists don't seem to be able to produce all this proof they have, all they do is tell us how stupid we are. Where is your proof. Sorry if I seem hostile, I get tired of being called an idiot because I don't believe as you do.

Answer 7

Some people seem to try and get around all of their problems by constructing their own reality as they go.
I liken the human race to a boat full of people in a storm at sea.
Some people are bailing water and others have given up on this and have began to pray.
It's easiler to believe in what you like, to squeeze reality into the confines of your personality.
Religions, hundreds of them, are all different combinations of the same fantasy. But if you join a groups fantacy then you can feel that your being objective. If the group says this is true then it is objectively true and the individual outside the group becomes a liar. So your fossils are lies.
The problem with having a fantasy reality if your alone is that people will see you as being insane. So anyone wanting a fantasy reality really needs to join a group with a prepackaged fantasy.
Um . . . I could go on . . . and on . . .
Thanks for the violation notice.

Answer 8

It is kind of a mystery. I mean, you HAVE to take biology to graduate high school, unless your parents write a note? How many do that?

Then again, literature is part of the American education system too, and most people don't know what century F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in.

Answer 9

i know its sad its like when the church got upset when somebody said the world was round, you can shove the evidence right in there face and they still will not believe you, micro evolution is a fact and they are still trying to make excuses, just give up and let science take its course

Answer 10

Whats funny about creationists who bash evolution is that they think THEIR god wins by default even though they have no more evidence of their god's existence than I have of Zeus or Mithra's existence.

Anyone who doesn't believe evolution hasn't acutally studied evoulution. It's like denying that 2+2=4 or that E=MC2.
It's laughable.