Saturday, February 15, 2014

The Supid - It Hurts

The nation that put the first man on the Moon is failing to make the grade today when it comes to basic knowledge of the solar system and other fundamental scientific insight.

[...]

Out of a total of nine questions on subjects related to physical and biological sciences, the average score in [a recent] survey was a narrowly passing 6.5 correct answers, according to a survey of 2,200 Americans conducted by the National Science Foundation.

For example, only 74 percent correctly answered that the Earth revolved around the Sun.

  RT
Galileo turns in his grave.  Too little fundamental science and much fundamental religion?
Meanwhile, fewer than half (48 percent) of study participants were aware that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals.
I don’t think it’s a matter of awareness. It’s a matter of belief.

Or could I be wrong?
According to the test, more than 90 percent of Americans are of the opinion that scientists are "helping to solve challenging problems" and are "dedicated people who work for the good of humanity."

Also, nearly 90 percent said the benefits of science outweigh any of its potential dangers.

[...]

The question of academic quality has become a hot political issue as a number of international tests show Americans falling behind.
No problem. Americans are the world’s consumers. In a global society, we don’t need the scientists. We just buy (or steal – hey, hey, NSA) their product.
A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that Americans scored far below average and higher than only two of 12 other developed comparison countries, Italy and Spain.
What are those guys doing?

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