Saturday, July 05, 2008

Conservapedia: Polls and opinion are better than science

To have "The Trustworthy Encyclopedia" explain science, if enough people don't believe in a subject, or believe something that is counter to what the science states, then the science *MUST* be wrong. At least, that's the implications of such wonderful quotes as:
Record Crude Prices Fuel Support for Oil and Gas Exploration Off Florida Coast

This links to a FoxNews story that states, "With gas topping $4 a gallon, recent polls show Americans, Floridians included, more supportive of drilling in protected areas. Some politicians — including Gov. Charlie Crist — have switched sides." It's surprising that the polls are not mentioned directly, though sentiment may have to do with the media's drum beat that any drilling anywhere will lower gas prices.

According to a story with McClatchy Newspapers, "Opening America's coastal waters to oil drilling, as John McCain urged in an address Tuesday, is unlikely to provide Americans with more oil for at least seven to 10 [sic] years." What's more, "[I]f there are 19 billion barrels in the areas McCain would open to drilling, that's enough to provide about 920 days, or about 2.5 years, of current U.S. consumption." Add to that expenses, proposed to be around $100 million, and the effects will likely RAISE the costs of gas, not lower them.

If the media and some politicians keep telling people that more drilling will ease prices at the pump, then of course polls will reveal people approve of drilling off-shore. If people were instead told that drilling off-shore won't ease gas supply for almost a decade, when oil consumption will be much higher than it is now, and that any such drilling will cost millions and millions of dollars just to start (and who will pay for that setup and exploration?), there's little chance that a majority will support such actions.

Like with other entries on Conservapedia that quote polls or link to news stories that state polls trump science, it still does not make the science invalid. It speaks volumes of those who trumpet the falsehoods, though.

And if you wanted another incident of polls-trump-science on Conservapedia, I give you:
For example, an article by CBS News begins with the observation that, "Americans do not believe that humans evolved, and the vast majority says that even if they evolved, God guided the process. Just 13 percent say that God was not involved." In addition, there is evidence to suggest that the evolutionary position is gradually losing public support in the United States. The prestigious science journal Science reported the following in 2006: "The percentage of people in the country who accept the idea of evolution has declined from 45 in 1985 to 40 in 2005. Meanwhile the fraction of Americans unsure about evolution has soared from 7 per cent in 1985 to 21 per cent last year.


So yes, take all your evidence, your experiments, your predictions, and shove them, because more people just don't believe in science. After all, what has science ever done for them?

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