Re: How many folks really care?
David Campbell (bivalve@isis.unc.edu)
Fri, 30 May 1997 17:43:16 -0400>A general question for brainstorming -- how many folks really care about
>origins issues?
>
There was a fair crowd here at UNC when Duane Gish argued with someone from
Fayetteville State U, though some of them may have been trying to find the
concurrent Grateful Dead concert (there were inquiries at the door, at
least). Origin issues are relatively prominent at many geological meetings
and get enough attention to create confusion for school boards and
legislatures (NC House just passed a bill requiring teaching evolution as
only a theory, so I may have to break the letter of the law to teach my
class this fall). There's usually passing mention in intro biology and
geology texts and courses, so the authors and teachers consider them of
interest. It seems to generate interest among a fair number of students
here in intro-level paleontology classes; there's at least moderate
interest in having a presentation on the subject at church, but the
congregation is predominantly students and well-educated, relatively
hi-tech professionals rather than a representative sample of the U.S.
population. There may be greater interest in the "Bible belt" than
elsewhere.
David Campbell
"Old Seashells"
Department of Geology
CB 3315 Mitchell Hall
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill NC 27599-3315
919-962-0685
FAX 919-966-4519
"He had discovered an unknown bivalve, forming a new genus"-E. A. Poe, The
Gold Bug