Hi, NoNukes.
Sorry for the delay: I went on vacation for the weekend.
NoNukes writes:
And you think that, rather than the subject matter of biology, which essentially requires accepting evolution, is responsible for directing Mormons away from biology?
Yes, I do. Certainly, the subject matter is also a hang up, but, I observed (both as a student and as a teacher) that students were more willing to admit acceptance of evolution in private conversations than they were in class polls.
That tells me that it's the peer pressure that determines what they say, not the actual subject matter itself.
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NoNukes writes:
I didn't note Coyote making such a claim. He discusses some rudeness at conferences, but not much else.
He also said it was a turn-off for students who might have been good scientists. I assumed he was speaking from experience: as in, he knows students who left the sciences for this reason. Perhaps I assumed too much: perhaps I was letting my personal acquaintance with other conservative scientists determine how I was interpreting Coyote's comments.
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NoNukes writes:
I'll note that ridicule of creationists is done by even the few right leaning scientific people here. Even Buzsaw has been known to ridicule YECs. Do you really want to equate creationism with conservatism?
I didn't intend to speak only about creationists: we've had people leave over political and social topics, as well. But, now that you mention it, I've probably overstated the case here. Forget this example.
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NoNukes writes:
Evidence for what exactly? Is there a question about the percentage of scientists who accept human-driven climate change, or are you looking for something else?
Sorry: I quoted too much. I didn't mean to include that line about global warming in the quote box. I was asking for evidence for the position that conservatives avoid science because of the money.
-Bluejay (a.k.a. Mantis, Thylacosmilus)
Darwin loves you.