US Adults Fail Basic Science Literacy

TaeKwonDood writes "Do you want the bad news first or the good news? The good news is that about 80% of Americans think science knowledge is 'very important' to our future. The bad news is most of those people think it's up to someone else to get knowledgeable. Only 15% actually know how much of the planet is covered in water (47% if you accept a rough approximation of the exact number) and over 40% think dinosaurs and humans cavorted together like in some sort of 'Land Of The Lost' episode. What to do? Pres. Obama thinks merit pay for teachers makes sense. Yes, it will enrage the teachers' union, but it might inspire better people to go into science teaching. It's either that or accept that almost 50% of Americans won't know how long it takes the earth to go around the sun."

Comments

Re:Culture

[MightyMartian]

You may very well be right. They say the most obvious sign of Rome's rot beginning in the 4th century was that there weren't enough skilled craftsmen around, that when an Emperor wanted to make a monument, he would literally have to steal material from old monuments. Maybe the US is entering that phase. Rome's slow decline was interrupted by a series of invasions which pretty much left shattered.