Evolution/Intelligent Design
nisbetmc | April 8, 2010
At Science today, contributing journalist Yudhijit Bhattacharjee reports on the decision by the National Science Board to drop discussion of survey questions about evolution from their 2010 Science Indicators report. As a reviewer of several previous versions of the report and as an expert who provided input and feedback on the design of the 2006 survey instrument, I have several thoughts on what I think Bhattacharjee in the article unfairly portrays as a "controversy."
The NSB is correct to be concerned about how these questions are interpreted by the public and by the scientific community…
nisbetmc | October 15, 2009This week Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story ($9.9 million) edged past Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed ($7.7 million) on the list of top grossing political documentaries. For more on the impact and box office success of Expelled, see this past article I contributed to Skeptical Inquirer magazine.
nisbetmc | July 30, 2009About 400 people packed the classic AFI Theater last night for the NIH-sponsored screening and discussion of Inherit the Wind. Here are a few follow-up notes, especially for attendees logging on looking for more information about topics discussed.
1. As I mentioned last night, perhaps the best book on understanding the science, the history, and the politics of America's decades long debate over evolution is Eugenie Scott's Evolution vs. Creationism, recently updated, expanded, and released in its 2nd edition.
2. For those looking for more details on the issues related to framing and public…
nisbetmc | July 28, 2009
Tomorrow night, watch Spencer Tracy argue in defense of evolution.
For readers in the DC area, tomorrow night at 7pm, the NIH Office of Science Education and the American Film Institute are teaming up to sponsor a screening of Inherit the Wind as part of their summer film series "Science in the Cinema."
Following the film, I have been invited to make a few remarks on the evolution debate as it plays out in contemporary culture and the enduring themes from the classic movie. The event and film series is designed to facilitate active audience participation and debate, so I expect there will be…
nisbetmc | June 2, 2009
At the AFI Silver Theater on July 29 watch Spencer Tracy argue in defense of evolution.
For readers in the DC area, on July 29 at 7pm, the NIH Office of Science Education and the American Film Institute are teaming up to sponsor a screening of Inherit the Wind as part of their summer film series "Science in the Cinema."
Following the film, I have been invited to make a few remarks on the evolution debate as it plays out in contemporary culture and the enduring themes from the classic movie. The event and film series is designed to facilitate active audience participation and debate, so I…
nisbetmc | May 20, 2009
In June, I am headed to Denmark to speak at and participate in a unique conference organized by the Danish Association of Science Journalists. The one day conference titled "Dissensus 2009: Framing Research" examines the nature and implications of framing for science journalism and public engagement.
As part of the build up for the conference, organizers have been heading out into the parks, coffee shops and streets of Copenhagen to interview Danes about science. In the latest video, Danes are asked their views on evolution and their belief in possible alternatives.
nisbetmc | April 16, 2009Roughly 100 audience members turned out to Monday's talk at the National Academies on "Communicating about Evolution" co-sponsored by the NIH and part of their spring lecture series on Evolution and Medicine. Online video of the talk and slides will be available soon but below I have pasted the take home conclusions that I offered, principles and rules of thumb that should guide public engagement not just on evolution but on any science-related policy topic.
1. Science literacy has very little to do with public support, trust, perceptions, or deference to science.
2. Scientific organizations…
nisbetmc | April 13, 2009
For DC readers, as part of a spring lecture series on evolution and medicine sponsored by NIH and the National Academies, I will be speaking tonight at 7pm at the National Academy of Sciences Auditorium at 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW (adjacent to the State Department and National Mall.) Go here for more information on the free talk.
The topic of the lecture is "Communicating about Evolution" and I will be discussing themes covered in recent articles and forthcoming book chapters. I previewed some of these themes in video interview segments last year with Big Think.
Here is a synopsis from…
nisbetmc | February 10, 2009In an essay today at the NY Times, Carl Safina pinpoints one of the lingering challenges in communicating about evolution: what he calls the "cult of Darwin." If we would only stop focusing so much on the man, and more on evolutionary science, then it might boost public understanding. (I will be discussing some of these issues as part of a spring lecture series on evolution held here in DC sponsored by the National Academies and NIH. Details.)
From Safina's essay:
Using phrases like "Darwinian selection" or "Darwinian evolution" implies there must be another kind of evolution at work, a…
nisbetmc | February 4, 2009As I wrote last month, in the Year of Darwin, the loudest voice associated with science threatens to be Richard Dawkins and other New Atheist pundits who will argue their personal belief that evolution undermines the validity of religion or even respect for the religious. Certainly, this promises to be a big part of the publicity campaign behind Dawkins' forthcoming book on evolution.
In sharp contrast, the major science organizations such as AAAS and the National Academies are actively reaching out to religious leaders and groups. Another example is an event upcoming at the Center for…
nisbetmc | December 11, 2008
Next year, as the science community celebrates the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, leading organizations such as the AAAS, NIH, and the National Academies will be participating in coordinated efforts to reach out to new audiences, emphasizing the value and importance of teaching evolution in schools.
They will be using innovative techniques such as the AAAS YouTube video produced above. And as the National Academies did last year or as AAAS does in the video, they will be focusing importantly on the frame of religious compatibility, reassuring and…
nisbetmc | September 5, 2008From the latest Policy Alert of the American Association for the Advancement of Science:
Republican VP Pick Supports Teaching "Both Sides." Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain's choice for his running-mate, has expressed views on a number of issues of interest to scientists. In a televised debate during the Alaska governor's race in October 2006, Palin, in response to a question about teaching creationism in public schools, replied, "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching…
nisbetmc | September 2, 2008Palin has put support for creationism among GOP leaders on the media and public agenda. Everywhere in the news, GOP officials are being asked their position on the matter and in their replies they are sending the strongest of signals to a partisan public that support for creationism is part of the GOP DNA.
From a Washington Post article on how Palin is energizing the Evangelical base, Cathie Adams, the Texas GOP national committeewoman describes why she thinks Palin is so exciting:
Cathie Adams, Texas's incoming national committeewoman, said she is elated to have someone like herself running…
nisbetmc | September 2, 2008
The McCain choice of Sarah Palin has made creationism a topic that various GOP spokespeople are now being asked by the press to weigh in on. From the interviews, an emerging talking point appears to be that "it's a local decision." On Sunday, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was asked by Tom Brokaw about Palin's position and his personal views on the issue. Video above and transcript below.
MR. BROKAW: Okay. In the governor's race, she refused to be specific about her views on Creationism versus evolution. But, as I understand it, she did say that she thought that the two subjects should be…
nisbetmc | September 1, 2008
Similar to Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal was heralded by conservatives as offering the belief credentials to be Vice President.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was interviewed by the Sunday NY Times magazine. In yesterday's edition, here's what he said about his support for teaching creationism in public schools:
Did you always want to be in politics? It was not something I anticipated doing. I always thought I'd go to medical school. I got accepted into medical school and did not end up going.
Where were you accepted? At Harvard.
Wow. Why would someone with so much knowledge of biology sign a…
nisbetmc | August 29, 2008In running for Governor of Alaska in 2006, GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin said she supported teaching alternatives to evolution. When asked during an election debate, she said:
"Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both."
She later attempted to clarify her statement by saying in an interview:
"I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."
She added that, if elected, she would not push the state…
nisbetmc | June 27, 2008
A Gallup survey out this week reveals a wide partisan gap in perceptions of evolution. Specifically, 60% of Republicans say humans were created in their present form by God 10,000 years ago, a belief shared by only 40% of independents and 38% of Democrats.
These Gallup findings are the latest to underscore an emerging partisan divide on controversial areas of science. With many prominent Republicans continuing to dispute climate change, Democrats in recent elections making stem cell research part of their campaign strategy, GOP primary candidates openly doubting evolution, and Hillary…
nisbetmc | June 14, 2008
In The Happening, "Marky" Mark Wahlberg plays a science teacher who tells his students that evolution is just a theory.
Over at IO9, an influential science fiction and science blog, there's detailed speculation that M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening offers viewers strong pro-intelligent design themes.
If you listen to this Science Friday interview, you will see that Shyamalan is not the most sophisticated guy when it comes to science. After all, he is the devoutly Christian director who made his break though with a film about a kid who sees dead people (The Sixth Sense) and then later…
nisbetmc | May 30, 2008
Released around the time of Expelled's premiere, this YouTube clip produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science features Francis Collins, CEO Alan Leshner, and others discussing the compatibility of science, religion, and evolution. Collins ends the video by urging that we need to return to the middle ground, a place where we can celebrate both science and faith.
nisbetmc | April 8, 2008When producers release a documentary about a public affairs topic, especially in the case of a propaganda film like Expelled, they create several natural advantages over the typical news coverage that follows a policy debate.
First, in the lead up to the release of the film, the documentary generates coverage at softer news beats such as film reviews, the lifestyle pages, and in the case I detail below, the show business beat. In these contexts, the claims of the film are featured without context or absent a counter-argument.
Readers of these news zones are likely to be less familiar with…