Devolution

BrooklynDodger fears the loss of the culture war, except for enclaves like New York, California, and a few islands in between, like Austin. Only a minority of Americans believe in evolution by natural selection, and probably fewer really understand the process and evidence. Majority rule would mean that factually wrong ideas would be promulgated by state power. In the example of IMAX theatres – most in public institutions with educational purposes – private pressure would deny promulgation of correct ideas.

Evolution by natural selection is a fundamental biological process operating at a high level in natural systems. It’s just as important to organize knowledge about the growth of a clone of initiated tumor cells as it is for knowledge about ecological succession of an Agent Orange defoliated forest in Vietnam, or the role of the Spotted Owl. Perhaps fundamental knowledge of biological processes is unimportant in most occupations, but there’s one people ought to be concerned about: medical doctors. There ought to be more about doctoring than memorizing what antibiotic to give for what infection.

Religious fundamentalism is not really about what they believe and the way they live, it’s about them telling you and me how to think and live.

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http://nytimes.com/2005/03/19/national/19imax.html?hp&ex=1111294800&en=bac14b20d4620205&ei=5094&partner=homepage

A New Screen Test for Imax: It's the Bible vs. the Volcano

By CORNELIA DEAN Published: March 19, 2005

The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen.Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures.