One in five Americans thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth (page 2)

5go

Devising good tests to measure scientific knowledge is not simple. Questions about values and attitudes can be asked again and again over the years because they will be understood the same way by everyone who hears them; for example, Dr. Miller's surveys regularly ask people whether they agree that science and technology make life change too fast (for years, about half of Americans have answered yes) or whether Americans depend too much on science and not enough on faith (ditto).

You do not need to know a dam bit about science to know that the industy can not even get insurance still. Good business sence tells you nukes are a bad idea.

Whether the Earth revolves around the Sun or not is considered irrelevant to daily living by most people. What about the scientific knowledge of the engineers who place the town's water supply downhill from a stockyard? Or the water intake downstream from the town's sewer?

Wasn't education supposed to correct this sort of problem? It's obvious, as other posters have said, that our schools are failing.

Cellist

OUTLAW

.......One in five people could`nt find their own ass,with both hands and a map!..LOL!!...OUTLAW

5go

People should be taught how to think not what to think.

One could point out the current scientific community it doing just that. Eistein put out a theory not a law. If some puts out a competing theory it is almost instantly rejected because it would conflict with Eistein's theory or scientific communities opinion of it.

5go

Wasn't education supposed to correct this sort of problem? It's obvious, as other posters have said, that our schools are failing.

That is why one must educate themselves, and not rely on others to force education on the people.

nvrgnbk

People should be taught how to think not what to think.

IP_SEC

5,

I agree with you that AE knew how to think. He could conceptualize probably better than anyone of his time. You should also understand that scientific theory and conjecture are not the same thing. Scientific Theory and Law do NOT stand in opposition.

Everyone knows that 4x4=16. But schools should not teach times tables before teaching the theory of why 4x4=16. (4+4+4+4=16)

edit cuz I forgot the NOT after the do lol

Nathan Natas

I'm not surprised. The leadership of the USA believes invisible superheros communicate with him. Most US citizens profess a devout belief in invisible superheros and believe that the invisble superheros are on their side. Yet no invisible superheros has even so much as opened a bottle of beer or fried a chicken wing.

reneeisorym

I agree -- the biggest problem I see is that people have no curiosity or yearning to learn more. If people were at all curious, they would want to know how the things around them worked. That would lead to not only a basic understanding of science but a yearning to learn more about things that affected their lives.

The point about trivia being evidence of a failed school system is exactly what I think.

Our school system needs to be concerned with teaching kids how to research and critically think. Making them memorize facts that they will forget is useless. And they need to be taught the benefits to knowledge. How many of us have heard kids say "I hate math. I'll never use this stuff in the real world." There needs to be a lot of "First I'm going to tell you why you need to know this and then we'll learn about it." Maybe then the kids would pay attention?

5go

I'm not surprised. The leadership of the USA believes invisible superheros communicate with him. Most US citizens profess a devout belief in invisible superheros and believe that the invisble superheros are on their side. Yet no invisible superheros has even so much as opened a bottle of beer or fried a chicken wing.

To think how did we learn that not from school but thinking about and looking things up for ourselves.

One in five Americans thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth

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