Bill Nye critcizes GOP, parents teaching creationism

"We can't raise a generation of science students who can't understand science."

Funny. I never saw how learning "God created the world" prevents a student from understanding Newtonian Physics. Not believing something doesn't preclude one from understanding it - if that were the case, Nye is criticizing something he doesn't understand (creationism).

 

Its really just a projection of today's modern culture and society. It is not enough to be comfortable in your own beliefs, you have to force said beliefs on everyone else.

 

We are losing ground as compared to the rest if the industrialized world in education/sciences and we do rank 2nd to Turkey in the lack of belief in evolution...

U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution
A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower.
http://www.livescience.com/963-lags-world-grasp-genetics-acceptance-evolution.html

Nye's concerns are not unfounded and I do think he totally understands the theory of creationism, which is exactly why he rejects it.

 

People believed more in creationism when iPhones and fuel injected cars were invented than they do now. Nye is just grandstanding.

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We're losing ground because of our horrible public school system and the lowering of standards needed to pass black and brown students, not because of religious belief.

 

You know, Bill Nye is not educated as a scientist don't you?

 

I'd put my kid's and her private Christian school classmates' science test scores against any public school in the country. He's an idiot and the DATA doesn't support his comments. Imagine that.

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So what?!

Apple, Boeing, Google, MIT, NASA…need I go on?

 

Yeah that is why private religious schools kick the (*)(*)(*)(*) out of public schools on standardized tests.

BTW did you know that Mr. Nye faked an experiment on Al Gores 24/7 Climate Reality Project.

Yeah there is someone you should listen to for scientific ethics.

 

Since creationism or intelligent design or whatever label they want to put on that old wine is still around, still endeavoring to work its way into public schools, then I don't that Nye is exactly "grandstanding".

Don't know where you've been but we've been RAISING standards for quite some time, and certainly with the Common Core. Problem is that there has been opposition, mostly from the right on Common Core, but also from a lot of folks over the testing that has been running rampant.

 

You are attempting to change the subject of the thread. Education does deserve many threads of its own to debate over, but this is about the pitiful amount of people in this country that do not accept evolution as compared to the rest of the world so let's stay on topic.

 

..and what does that have to do with the teaching of creationism as compared to evolution? Hopefully, your kids are being taught evolution and I will assume that they are if their private school is doing the right job.

 

How so? The fact that he's holding up specific innovations that came about at a time when belief in creationism was higher than it is now demonstrably shows that Nye's concerns are baseless.

Yes, it's all the Republicans fault that Government schools are failing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/us/plan-to-lower-texas-high-school-standards-could-anger-voters.html

 

Since Sputnik, the news has been that we are losing ground behind the rest of the world. We aren't. It's just a myth that we keep up.

Bill Nye isn't qualified to talk about the subject. He just has a bachelor's degree in engineering, not a science degree, and not an advanced science degree. (I have a master's in marine biology, and one in biology education, as well as a bachelor's in biology so I do feel qualified to talk down his credentials). While I do agree that evolution is the best explanation of how life formed on earth in it's present form, I don't agree that creationism at all cripples science education in this country. In the high school biology curriculum, evolution is about a week's worth of lessons. Biology can be understood without it.

 

When creationism is being pushed as an agenda to replace, debunk or negate evolution it becomes a problem and this is not a myth...

And it seems that the short amount of time spent teaching evolution has its roots in politics...

It doesn't matter which degree Nye has on this issue as he is merely pointing out a fact that disturbs him and most likely many others as well.

 

He understands it very well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6kgvhG3AkI

 

Belief in Evolution fits the definition of a religion, or more accurately a cult. Show us ONE, only one, scientific empirical evidence for molecules to man.

 

Bill Nye is an entertainer not a scientist. He started as a comedian in Seattle TV.

Mr. Nye denies the very foundation of both science and education, at least good education. In both, all evidence is considered, whether it is mainstream or "alternate", even lawyers are taught to read and study minority opinions from the high courts.

In high school, I was really into Darwin. A great science teacher, great actually, gave me an assignment for extra credit, which I needed at the time. the assignment was to write a report on all the challenges that have been mounted AGAINST Darwin and his theories. It was a much larger task than I thought, took weeks and was extensive, there was then a lot of questions out there.

I got an "A", not because it was "right" or even accurate, but the mere fact I was able to look at counter evidence with a reasonably open mind.

I ended up a journalist.

If you ignore all the questions behind any issue, then are you really learning anything? That's the kind of yes-no without an alternative thinking that results in the kind kind of politics America is saddled with, there can be NO good ideas ever from the Republicans to the Democrats, and the Democrats need "the stupidity of the American voter"......

 

Its basic science you try and isolate variables to test hypothesis. If Nye's hypothesis has merit then religious schools should perform poorly in standardized tests of scientific knowledge and understanding. They don't therefor Nye's hypothesis is wrong and he is just a bigoted dumbass.

 

Sorry, you are barking up the wrong tree if you are looking for a debate on Evolution vs. Creationism from me....been there done that and both sides of the debate still remain fixed in the beliefs. That old adage of never argue politics or religion needs to be updated to include evolution vs. creationism. Although I would not be on this forum if not for debating political issues, the evolution vs. creationism debate is just too tedious and all questions I have ever had concerning either have been answered and I still continue to believe the validity of the former as science and the latter as hooey.

 

I don't believe creationism itself is an issue, I think it comes from creationists being seen as anti-science. Just watch this forum and you'll see people dismissing scientific information because it changes. You'll also see people talking about how religion is superior to science because it has all the answers. It is that kind of attitude, that anti-science attitude, that is an issue, and the evolution/creationism battle seems to be a focal point. We also, as has been pointed out multiple times, have the issue of creationists trying to teach their "science" in the classroom.

 

Private christian schools, for the most part, do better than public schools - though I don't think that's what he's talking about. I think he's talking about parents teaching creationism

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Come on. You missed the point. Read it again.

 

Bill Nye is raising a semi-serious issue. I find it fascinating that people are attacking him.

He is very well educated and understands how science works. While an entertainer he also has worked for Boeing in aircraft design, holds a few patents for invention and had a product he created go to Mars for scientific us so................

The other thing to understand that creationism is not simply "God created the earth". It is the effort to discount the facts that evolution exists and is the reason for the vast diversity of life on earth. So those who are suggesting that he is attacking anyone who believes in God is ludicrous.

 

Nye is using the creationism issue as his claim to fame which I find particularly odd since he had found some success in children's science education. When your part of a show at Disneyworld you have pretty much arrived at the pinnacle of a career in my view. But perhaps he wanted to broaden his horizons and find more respect in the adult world.

Really though, such a minority of people actually discount evolution it seems he's arguing pretty much with a brick wall. There are a couple of guys that debate him but those are mainly set up by universities for free press, not as any real academic study. I think he has chosen the wrong career tack but more power to him if this is where he wants to stake his claim.

 

Here's a whole page full:

http://www.proof-of-evolution.com/evolution-evidence.html

 

Yet here you are on a forum with a debate on 'creationism. I will agree it can become tedious, especially when one's questions are avoided.

 

Bill Nye is to science as Jon Lebowitz is to news anchor