stand up for REAL science

John Pieret of "Thoughts in a Haystack" has added his voice to the discussion about whether faith and science can live in harmony.

Referring to one of the complaints against "accomodationism" - namely that it must be ineffective because public opinion has changed little over the decades - Pieret writes:

In my own (admittedly unscientific) view, I suspect that these numbers are stable because they represent some basic way people differ in how they look at the world and attempt to explain it. Be that as it may, focusing on one statistic is a highly suspect way to judge the effect of any program. Look, for example, at another statistic:

According to a 2006 study sponsored by the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative of the Center for American Progress and conducted by the firm Financial Dynamism ... [e]ighty percent of those questioned agree that "faith and science can and should coexist. We can respect our belief in God and our commitment to the dignity of every human life by using our scientific knowledge to help those who are sick or vulnerable." The same overwhelming number endorses the view that "stem cell research can be a force for moral good rather than a moral failing."

Why should we not attribute this highly encouraging result, at least in significant part, to the "accomodationist" campaign?

In addition, there are also indications that public acceptance of evolution is on the rise. For instance, the latest Gallup poll indicated that younger Americans are significantly more likely to accept evolution than their parents and grandparents.

This difference is likely due to many factors, one of which is the obvious fact that younger people are less likely to be religious. But I think it's also possible that public outreach efforts by organizations like NAS, AAAS, and NCSE may have something to do with it, especially since the fruits of their efforts are probably encountered most frequently by students and teachers in science classroom settings.

Anyway, I'm starting to feel pretty lucky. I keep finding intriguing thoughts instead of hay when I search through the haystack.

I think John must be stacking the stack.