Furthermore, despite living in a rather conservative state (Arizona) I have never encountered a person with such a paucity of understanding. For this to comprise, then, roughly half of the nation?
Chances are you met one and didn’t know it. My father once asked my (high-school-aged) neighbors how long ago the dinosaurs lived. They said they didn’t know but guessed about ten thousand years ago. I was surprised, because I knew it was millions of years ago although I didn’t remember exactly how many millions it was (but vaguely remembered the number 65 million in connection with dinosaurs).
When I say “encountered” I include the presence of contextual clues, or topical requirements. Talking about GMOs for example, or why there isn’t just one “flu shot”, etc.
They said they didn’t know but guessed about ten thousand years ago.
Chances are you met one and didn’t know it. My father once asked my (high-school-aged) neighbors how long ago the dinosaurs lived. They said they didn’t know but guessed about ten thousand years ago. I was surprised, because I knew it was millions of years ago although I didn’t remember exactly how many millions it was (but vaguely remembered the number 65 million in connection with dinosaurs).
To admit my ignorance, I only know the particular ’65 million years’ number because of Jurassic Park.
When I say “encountered” I include the presence of contextual clues, or topical requirements. Talking about GMOs for example, or why there isn’t just one “flu shot”, etc.
Evolution and its history are intentionally avoided by teachers in public schools: only about 28% of teachers actually teach to the NRC’s recommendations.
Genetics on the other hand… has made its way into television commercials. So this confounds me.