Those who understand evolution: how many creationists have you encountered that understand evolution?

Question

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

This is kind of a poll. I'm not trying to debate anything right now.

My question is directed to people who understand evolution.


How many creationists have you encountered (through conversation or exchange of emails) that you thought had a relatively good understanding of evolution?


Please provide the number of creationists you've encountered, then the number you thought actually understood it.

example: I've known about 100 creationists but only 3 that actually understand the scientific concept.


If you wish, you can provide the same for evolutionists.

example: I've known about 500 evolutionists and about 300 of those have understood it.

Thanks in advance.

PS, Edge - if you see this, yes, you are one of the 3.

Lynus - it is rare I admit, but there are some who have a fair understanding (I did not say 'good').

John S - I gave my opinion in the details. And I am being as truthful as I know how to be.

Creation - I can't imagine why anyone would say that about you.

Answer 1

My best guess based on experience:

Creationists that understand evolution - 2% to 4%
Creationists that understand creationism - 2% to 4%
Evolutionists that understand evolution - 5% to 10%
Evolutionists that understand creationism - 1% to 3%

I know a fair number (20 to 30) of folks who are creationists that have everything from a BS to PhD/MD in fields including biology, chemistry, physics, medicine and engineering. Some are college and medical school professors. They have studied and understand both sides of the issue.

I think the percentages above hold true for those that post on this board.

Answer 2

>Those who understand evolution: how many creationists have you encountered that understand evolution?

Not very many. It's not like I keep track of the exact numbers, but it seems that the vast majority of creationists have at least some misunderstanding about how evolution works.

>If you wish, you can provide the same for evolutionists.

Most evolutionists I've met seem to have a fairly good understanding of evolutioin. I can't be entirely sure, though...it's highly likely that the evolutionists who argue the point a lot tend to have a better understanding than evolutionists who don't particularly care and don't argue about it very much.

Answer 3

The theory of evolution never addresses the "mystery" of the human mind. It is an issue - "what is the mind?" - that has plagued man since Plato's "Thaetetus.". The human mind can only be explained poetically. For Plato, the human mind is an aviary. Every thought is like a bird escaping from the aviary. As a Christian, I believe that man was created in the image of God. That doesn't mean God has anon - metaphysical chimp, etc. appearance. By made in "his image,". Scripture is referring to thoughtfulness. A thoughtful God made one creature in his image: modern man, a being alive with both a conscience, and a sense of the divine. So, I am (1)either an accidental consequence of Lucy walking upright, out of the primordial forest, at the right time; or (2) a thoughtful, living being with a sense of right and wrong. I believe, admittedly, in the archaeological record: the astrolipithicene, etc. How can one fully deny the fossil record? However, Darwin. /. And. the scientists that have followed have stumbled. Onto a great find: the physical evidence of God's. Creation. Yet, the human. Mind. Still remains a mystery. Left. To. The. Faithful, poets, and. Philosophers. (. Wittgenstein, Aquinas, and. Dostoyevsky, etc. The. Theory of. evolution. Ignores. The. Mystery.

Answer 4

skeptic,

Great question. In all the time I have spent at Yahoo Answers, I have encountered probably 30 or more creationists. I have encountered only 1 that showed even the most basic understanding of what the theory of evolution says. He had criticisms of it that were all faulty, but I give him credit for understanding what the theory does and does not say. The rest of them are firing stray bullets into the dark.

Answer 5

Of the young earth creationists I've met, none have understood Big Bang, planetary formation, abiogenesis, OR evolution.

Of the theistic evolutionists I've met, most of them had a fairly reasonable grasp of it -- they still believe their deity nudged the statistical aspects to cause the evolution, but that evolution did happen roughly as observed.

Of the deistic evolutionists, those who think a deity created the Universe but that their deity did not directly guide evolution, I'd say the better part of them got it.

Of the non-believers I've met, only a trivial exception to the rule did not have a good grasp on it.

Answer 6

I've not encountered any. They feel that the poorly constructed crib-sheet that's spouted by ID-Advocates and young earth theorists is enough reading.
I would respect them more if they understood the scientific principles they were rejecting, rather than just spouting "abiogenesis this" and "macro-evolution" that, and "you honestly believe we came from monkeys, and if so, why are they still around?".
I have had interesting discussions with both christian and muslim creationists and found their take interesting but not credible.

Answer 7

I suppose there might be a few out there that do understand it and make the decision to reject it anyway based on their religion, but I have personally never spoken with a creationist who understood evolution.

Answer 8

I don't know if you would consider this "encountering" a creationist about evolution, but I watched a documentary some time ago that was over a suburban Atlanta school district trying to get disclaimer stickers put in science books regarding evolution only being "one way" of seeing things. One of my favorite (favorite meaning saddest) parents was a man who proclaimed "Evolution is only a theory!" Clearly, anyone who would say such a thing has no idea what a scientific theory is, as they just used it synonomously with the definition of theory meaning "a guess." For example, "I have a theory about what is buried underneath the neighbor lady's rosebushes."

So all in all, I have met none.

Answer 9

I can't begin to count the number of creationist posts I've seen... if I had to guess: 200 Creationists, 2 of whom had a basic understanding.

Answer 10

To be honest, I don't know anyone who actually understands evolution who is still a creationist. It's hard to hang on to creationist ideas with scientific evidence, and common sense working against it's very foundation. Anyone who manages it has a lot more faith than average.
EDIT: Speciation and genetic drift have been observed and documented in dozens of species within the last century. In insects, within a year. These are forms of evolutionary change. The deer mouse (Peromyces maniculatus) is a prime example, with dozens of ring species from the same original species.