Religion
Related: About this forumThe Shared Assumption Behind Creationism and Anti-GMO in Europe
http://religiondispatches.org/the-shared-assumption-behind-creationism-and-anti-gmo-in-europe/BY MICHAEL SCHULSON MARCH 20, 2015
Creationism, like baseball, is an American pastime. And, like baseball, creationism can feel like a uniquely American sporta local, indigenous, American bizzarity, in the words of Stephen Jay Gould.
Theres no question that anti-Darwinian sentiment occupies a special place in the American psyche. But there is nothing uniquely Americanor, for that matter, especially right-wingabout feeling as if nature works in ways other than those specified by contemporary biology. And skepticism toward evolution is a global phenomenon, from Turkey to South Korea.
And in Europe, too. In Creationism in Europe, a recent release from Johns Hopkins Press, a group of scholars survey the continents creationist scene. Curious to dig deeper into the more global side of these ideas, The Cubit rang up Stefaan Blancke, one of the books editors and contributors. Blancke, a postdoctoral fellow at Ghent University, in Belgium, studies the cognitive biases that shape our views of nature. We spoke about creationism in Europe, the influence of the First Amendment, and what anti-GMO and anti-evolution activism have in common.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Is the appeal of creationism different in Europe than it is in the United States?
Creationist beliefs are far more widespread in the US. But, [in Europe], we do have some opinions about how nature works, how nature functions, that I think are anchored in the same cognitive predispositions that creationism is. So we dont have a lot of creationism, but we do have a lot of anti-GMO resistance. There are quite a lot of similarities between the two positions.
more at link
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Which reminds me, whatever happened to rug? It's well past Lent now I believe...
cbayer
(146,218 posts)You live in a highly religious area and you don't know when Easter is? That's pretty funny.
Rug will return in about a week.
<<<<<----- backatcha
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Saturday is my big day and the only one I bother to keep track of, it's the day the Casbah Rocks.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/103640478
Never have been all that good with dates anyhow, it's one of my weaknesses.
I bet if you put this in GD it would get some attention, there have been some real battles over GMO stuff there lately. I'm kind of neutral on the subject so it's fun to watch the two opposing sides battle over it.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Sundays are my day because that's when David Johannsen's mansion of fun is on the radio.
Flea markets hold no interest for me. I don't need anything at all and I certainly don't need what others are throwing away. My husband, on the other hand, loves the swap meet and picks up lots of boat bits.
I'm not going to put this in GD, but I thought it was a pretty interesting analysis. I am very ambivalent about GMO, but I do think there is a lot of public hysteria based on a very poor understanding of what it really is about.
Did you pick up anything cool at the Casbah this weekend?
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)I'm a bit of a picker and my area of expertise is cameras and electronics, I find something worthwhile about every third weekend.
Every now and then I find something I like personally, this came to my attention in early January, a piece by a local artist but unfortunately I couldn't afford it..
cbayer
(146,218 posts)I am sorry that you weren't able to get it.
But that's why I don't generally go. Something that I really don't need will probably tickle me
...
okasha
(11,573 posts)i.e., in non-gallery settings, will accept payments or may be willing to bargain. This is much more likely, of course, if you live in the same community. It doesn't hurt to ask.