So how well do we talk about evolution in the public sphere? Well, all too often, not so well. For starters, the wise old advice to "know your audience" is a good place to start. Are you talking to a bunch of computer scientists, or a bunch of people who haven't taken a science class since the 1980s and don't believe in evolution for religious reasons??
While there's plenty to be said on communicating science to the public, I just wanted to pass along a few words by Eugenie Scott on the issue:
Accept it: Talk about evolution needs to evolve
By Eugenie Scott
August 1st, 2009 - ScienceNews
2 comments:
Useful article. I will be referring back to it.
There are a handful of recent books that tackle the subject well. Jerry Coyne and Ken Miller, for example, have a demonstrated ability to communicate evolution to those who may not initially 'accept' it. Although authors such as Richard Dawkins write well (and to my mind, on point) I would never recommend his books to someone who knew little of the subject...
Original Date: 7/23/2009 12:26
Yeah, folks like Don Prothero, Jerry Coyne, Ken Miller, Eugenie Scott, and a few others do a good job at reaching out to that crowd.
People like Dawkins tend to focus too much on peoples' core religious beliefs, which is pretty non-productive in most situations. I think the British accent might also rub some Americans the wrong way - draws up too many stereotypes or something ;)
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