• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

One adult American in five thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Not reallly. They dont need to know the earth revolves aroudn the sun to bring me my big mac or bag my groceries. Although one this simpletons go to the voting boothes, it could be an issue.
 
If a parody thread wasn't guaranteed to get me a vacation I would have started another thread:

Four adult Americans in five think that the Earth revolves around the Sun

I loathe the manipulation of statistics to try and stir up hysteria and garner headlines for what essentially is a "dog bites man" story.
 
Originally posted by: TallBill
Who cares, science isn't extremely relevant to most Adults. I do know about the stuff they are talking about, but it hasn't really helped me out any during my life.
Click to expand...

wow. i mean...just wow! are you serious? just because you think it's not useful in day to day life (thats horseshit. science is very useful in day to day life) means that most people need not bother learning it? whatever happened to furthering the mind?

as i understand, you're a soldier in the US army, correct? Are you telling me there is no science involved in you hitting a target far away while compensating for wind or gravity?
 
Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: JImmyK
Im sure the number that cant locate iraq and afghanistan on a map is higher...
Click to expand...

Locating places on a world map is also fairly unimportant as far as "life skills" go. Pathetic? Yes. Ultimately important? Hell no.

btw, been to both, I'd stick with Six Flags for vacation plans 😛
Click to expand...

You learn all the life skills you need by kindergarten. Why bother with the rest of the grades then?

The article alludes to something more important than a lack of knowledge about certain scientific informations; it shows a general contentment with ignorance. The desire to improve oneself, to learn and to understand new things is important. The article shows that people generally are happy to "not know stuff" while "keepin' it real" because they aren't important life skills.
Click to expand...

exactly what TallBill just displayed
edit: that came off a bit harsh. i didnt mean to say that tallbill is content with being ignorant, or that he is ignorant himself. But his mentality of "dont need to know it if it's not going to profit me" is whats wrong with this country. There is no excuse for not knowing basic science
 
Originally posted by: Martin
Originally posted by: TallBill
Who cares, science isn't extremely relevant to most Adults. I do know about the stuff they are talking about, but it hasn't really helped me out any during my life.
Click to expand...

And what happens when these illiterate people start to have an opinion on scientific matters?
Click to expand...
Exactly, they @*&# it up for the rest of us. These are the same people who have the fallacious opinion that their vote should be given on election day. They are idiots and it's narcissistic of them to think that they should be guiding a nation and spreading their ignorance.

I believe that 17% of american high school students can't even find the US on a globe (it was a nationalgeographic test, I think).

Tallbill's attitude is a very common one. People's natural defense to being called out on their knowledge is to pretend that the knowledge is immaterial anyway. I've met plenty of people like this. They are perfectly well suited to building me a big mac, building my house, working as teller at a bank, fixing a car, etc. but lacking a worldlier degree of knowledge they cannot see issues (even ones that may appear at the outset to be very simple) in the same light a more learned person can. The ignorant views shape many intangible things in their lives and also how they interact with those around them and how they contribute to the direction of the country.

I guess part of it is hard to explain; it's just something that, if a person isn't a total dumbass, they understand implicitly. It can be difficult explaining to a cab driver why it may be of help to have an understanding of international relations. Unfortunately, the cab driver may still feel that, though stupid as a post, he has every right to get up to a voting booth and give his opinion on a leader.
 
Originally posted by: Aharami
Originally posted by: TallBill
Who cares, science isn't extremely relevant to most Adults. I do know about the stuff they are talking about, but it hasn't really helped me out any during my life.
Click to expand...

wow. i mean...just wow! are you serious? just because you think it's not useful in day to day life (thats horseshit. science is very useful in day to day life) means that most people need not bother learning it? whatever happened to furthering the mind?

as i understand, you're a soldier in the US army, correct? Are you telling me there is no science involved in you hitting a target far away while compensating for wind or gravity?
Click to expand...

I never said not to teach it. But you can't make people care. And there is math related to putting a round on target, but I'm not Field Artillery. Even then, they just punch numbers in. The formula is to complex to do quickly and accurately.

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Tallbill's attitude is a very common one. People's natural defense to being called out on their knowledge is to pretend that the knowledge is immaterial anyway. I've met plenty of people like this. They are perfectly well suited to building me a big mac, building my house, working as teller at a bank, fixing a car, etc. but lacking a worldlier degree of knowledge they cannot see issues (even ones that may appear at the outset to be very simple) in the same light a more learned person can. The ignorant views shape many intangible things in their lives and also how they interact with those around them and how they contribute to the direction of the country.
Click to expand...

I haven't been called out on knowledge. Like stated before I do know all of the concepts that the poll covered. If I didn't then your assumption would be correct. I get what you're saying though. But once again, you can't make someone care.

Private companies and Universities are where most of the knowledge is at anyways. I'd like a few more programs with the Federal Government not involved. Science isn't going to stop and will rarely even face a speed bump because the average person can't even spell Particle Accelerator.
 
Originally posted by: Martin
Originally posted by: TallBill
Who cares, science isn't extremely relevant to most Adults. I do know about the stuff they are talking about, but it hasn't really helped me out any during my life.
Click to expand...

And what happens when these illiterate people start to have an opinion on scientific matters?
Click to expand...

We ignore them. What bothers me more is when politicians take a side in a scientific debate, and the general public's beliefs follow their political views. Case in point: global warming. Or stem cell research.

It shocks me that so many people think the sun revolves around the earth; something tells me the question was phrased in a confusing way so as to get the desired result. Even if that is not the case, it doesn't really bother me that so many people are so stupid. Some people have to do the crappy jobs.
 
Originally posted by: Jeff7
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Some other examples: Our president wants us to have another manned mission to the moon, and to mars. Do you have any clue how many more worthy scientific endeavors have had their funds cut already to facilitate this nonsense? I can almost hear the collective "yeehaww!" When Dubya announced this. Except, the "Yeehaww" was followed by "I sure hope they don't interupt one of the Nascar races on television in order to show us them landing on the moon." (With apologies to about 20% of the Nascar demographic.)
Click to expand...
Yeah, that stuff is a joke, at least right now. We are having trouble keeping the ISS fully working, and it even gets regular resupplies courtesy of the Soyuz modules from Russia, being in relatively accessible low-Earth orbit. Try sending something to the Moon quick in case of an emergency, such as a faulty oxygen generator. The base's crew would be dead days or weeks before help arrived.
Click to expand...

Another example of wasted money. I believe the number one accomplishment of the ISS is "learning to work mutually with another country on a major project." They ought to just give it a nudge out of orbit.
 
Originally posted by: Martin
Originally posted by: TallBill
Who cares, science isn't extremely relevant to most Adults. I do know about the stuff they are talking about, but it hasn't really helped me out any during my life.
Click to expand...

And what happens when these illiterate people start to have an opinion on scientific matters?
Click to expand...

and get elected to offices of power....the internets are a bunch of tubes
 
Incidentally, poor understanding of science has led to subsidies to corn and ethanol production, resulting in only a small gain in energy. However, we haven't built a new nuclear plant in how many decades??
 
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: Aharami
Originally posted by: TallBill
Who cares, science isn't extremely relevant to most Adults. I do know about the stuff they are talking about, but it hasn't really helped me out any during my life.
Click to expand...

wow. i mean...just wow! are you serious? just because you think it's not useful in day to day life (thats horseshit. science is very useful in day to day life) means that most people need not bother learning it? whatever happened to furthering the mind?

as i understand, you're a soldier in the US army, correct? Are you telling me there is no science involved in you hitting a target far away while compensating for wind or gravity?
Click to expand...

I never said not to teach it. But you can't make people care. And there is math related to putting a round on target, but I'm not Field Artillery. Even then, they just punch numbers in. The formula is to complex to do quickly and accurately.
Click to expand...

what about snipers?

 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Incidentally, poor understanding of science has led to subsidies to corn and ethanol production, resulting in only a small gain in energy. However, we haven't built a new nuclear plant in how many decades??
Click to expand...

resulting in a rise in food prices from the increased cost of corn due to an increased demand.
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Incidentally, poor understanding of science has led to subsidies to corn and ethanol production, resulting in only a small gain in energy. However, we haven't built a new nuclear plant in how many decades??
Click to expand...
The last to come on line was in '96. Text

 
Originally posted by: silverpig

The article alludes to something more important than a lack of knowledge about certain scientific informations; it shows a general contentment with ignorance. The desire to improve oneself, to learn and to understand new things is important. The article shows that people generally are happy to "not know stuff" while "keepin' it real" because they aren't important life skills.
Click to expand...

Sadly, you are right. That's one of the things that went VERY wrong with the world in the last couple of decades...
 
Originally posted by: JImmyK
Im sure the number that cant locate iraq and afghanistan on a map is higher...
Click to expand...

The number who can't locate Canada or Mexico on a map is pretty high too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top