Most Americans Are 'Not Too Confident' the Big Bang Theory Is a Solid One

[JRLeft]

According to a new Associated Press poll, Americans are a lot more sure about the negative effects of smoking than they are on the origins of the universe. The poll, which asked a series of questions on politically controversial scientific inquiries, found that Americans strongly agreed that smoking causes cancer, and that who we are is influenced in part by our genetic codes. On the other hand, a slim majority of Americans aren't so sure about the "Big Bang" theory of the origin of the universe. A slim majority also believed that "there must be a supreme being guiding [the universe's] creation" because of its complexity.

According to the results, just 21 percent of Americans were "extremely" or "very" confident in the Big Bang theory, which posits that our universe was born in a violent expansion about 14 billion years ago. Another 25 percent were "somewhat" confident in the theory, while 51 percent were "not too" or "not at all" confident. Granted, the AP chose a kind of strange wording for their question on the origin of the universe: "The universe began 13.8 billion years ago with a big bang." (They seem to be slightly more "confident" about the age of the Earth.) Although the Big Bang theory has been around as a reliable predictive model for some time, scientists uncovered the first direct evidence of its "first tremors" just months ago.

Right. So we, as a society, seem to strongly agree that "smoking causes cancer," that "a mental illness is a medical condition that affects the brain," that "inside our cells, there is a complex genetic code that helps determine who we are," and that "overusing antibiotics causes the development of drug-resistant bacteria." Although the first fact used to be politically controversial, the rest of these seem to be basic scientific observations about the world that transmit from person to person without very much political baggage. While some religions challenge the above definition of mental illness, there's not really a big policy argument at the national level questioning this scientific conclusion.

Then it gets complicated: Just 53 percent of Americans are extremely confident that vaccines are "safe and effective" for children, even though the anti-vaccination movement is almost certainly a much bigger threat to public health than any currently administered vaccine is. Another 30 percent of Americans are "somewhat" sure that vaccines are safe, so we're still in a strong majority here. But the results get worse for science when you go down the list of science "controversies:" 33 percent of Americans are certain that greenhouse gasses are contributing to a rise in average world temperature (another 28 percent are somewhat confident); and 31 percent are comfortable with evolution (24 percent are "somewhat" OK with it).

"Confidence in evolution, the Big Bang, the age of the Earth and climate change decline sharply as faith in a supreme being rises," the AP writes about the poll's results, even though all of these theories should be compatible with any version of Christianity that doesn't rely on a literal interpretation of the Bible. When the AP shared the results with several prominent scientists, the researchers were "depress[ed] and upset" by the findings.

http://news.yahoo.com/most-americans-not-too-confident-big-bang-theory-205637772.html;_ylt=A0SO8xdV6ldT4m8AoiJXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTBsOXB2YTRjBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkAw--

Idiots!

[Exultant Democracy]

1. But the Big Bang Theory is America's favorite television show...

wait that only makes me feel worse.

[Vashta Nerada]

2. "a slim majority" of people are idiots.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Well

the "average" IQ is 100, which isn't a rocket scientist. That means half the people are below 100. What do you expect??? I think the stats are pretty good when you think about it. I am surprised that so many people have even heard of the big bang theory.

Yeah, I don't have a lot of confidence in people.

[Vashta Nerada]

6. I don't either.

[nil desperandum]

3. Big Bang Theory

Of course many of these same "not too confident" respondents can't understand or provide a basic explanation of what happens in the LHC when it is operating. I don't mean a scientific detail with formulaic evidence, just a simple answer as to what it does and why that might be useful. It comes as no surprise that a nation fascinated with the Kardashians and athletes as gods would not be able to understand or have confidence in "science", that scary realm of know it alls and brainiacs. Far better to allow their brains to be anesthetized each evening by the giant flat screen gods broadcasting into their living rooms and telling them what to think than to actually try and understand the complexity of the world surrounding their daily existence.

I often wonder if the movie "Idiocracy" has more insight than I would have thought possible.

[Promethean]

4. Idiocracy Indeed.

I see it more and more, even among people who once told me that I should study hard, learn as much as I can and be a smart person. Intellectual laziness is what I call it. Not bothering to learn the hows and whys. Instead of following my nuanced explanations they take the simplest one presented because it is the easiest to process. I get asked who to vote for because I "keep track of those things" and am brushed off when I try to explain why with anything more than "this guy will vote for laws that help you, the other guy won't." At least they consider me more trustworthy than the TV so when I tell them Fox News lies they take it at face value.

[onager]

7. No! NO! Do NOT be a smart person!!!

Americans distrust and often despise smart people, who are "eggheads" etc.

Reminds me of the wisecrack from Adlai Stevenson, when he was running for President against Eisenhower. As a Stevenson rally, a woman stood up and yelled: "Every thinking American is voting for you!" To which Stevenson replied: "I'm sorry, madam, but we need a majority."

That pretty much sums it up.

Once I was back home vacationing in East Christistan (the South), where I grew up but where I haven't lived for many years.

A local preacher wrote a newspaper op-ed explaining that the Founders of America REALLY meant to declare this a Xian nation, but just sort of forgot to mention it in the Constitution.

I wrote a letter to the editor strongly disagreeing, using applicable quotes from the Founders, which was published. Someone fired back a letter saying something like: "Mr. Onager may think he's so smart with his fancy education, but that won't help him when he goes to meet Jesus" etc. etc.

Fancy education? I got my college degree by going to night classes when I was in the Marine Corps. When it comes to education I'm mostly a dumbass.

But still, I have to agree with that person who said: "Yeah, OK, if "elitist" means "not the dumbest motherfucker in the room," then you can call me elitist."

[Promethean]

8. Oh I know.

I've actually lost jobs to it for making people "uncomfortable" because they couldn't keep up with what I was saying. The first time I was basically told that my vocabulary is too large I was simply amazed. I have ironically since, learned to dumb myself down.

[progressoid]

9. Ugh. This is too depressing.

[Iggo]

10. A majority of people in this country believe in Sky Daddy and The Zombie.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. It's not good wording to use a precise figure for a question about 'confidence'

"The universe began 13.8 billion years ago with a big bang."

What if someone had heard earlier estimates of 15 billion, and never paid attention to more recent, refined figures? What kind of 'confidence' are they meant to have in that statement, when you can find the 15 billion figure in a Hawking lecture?

[Rob H.]

12. ...and then there's the "I think God caused the Big Bang" hypothesis

Which just answers one mystery with another and brings scientific inquiry/curiosity to a screeching halt. It's one of the most intellectually lazy "arguments" I've ever seen.

[mmonk]

13. The irony is that a priest came up with it.

The world is a funny place with a sense of humor.

[stone space]

14. Given the size of the universe at the time, I might be more inclined to call it the Itsy Bitsy Bang.

n/t

[uriel1972]

15. The small flatulence?...nt