There are times when I look back at my home country, with its comparative lack of Christian fundamentalism (and fantastic draught beer readily available), with nostalgia and yearning. Although I've been away from England for quite some time now, I think I keep pretty much up to speed with how things are there, and my impressions are generally supported by comments and writings from British colleagues. So I am disappointed to read in The Guardian that
Four out of 10 people in the UK think that religious alternatives to Darwin's theory of evolution should be taught as science in schools, according to a BBC poll.
The good news is that there are prominent Brits who are ready to stand up and speak out against such patent nonsense. Sir David Attenborough, England's best known public natural historian has sensible things to say, and Richard Dawkins makes the right point about public science education in that predictable Dawkins manner (which I happen to love)
"These ignorant people would probably welcome enlightenment. It is up to scientists to get out of their labs, from time to time, and enlighten."
Another nice thing is that mainstream British television appears prepared to tackle these issues, although I'd love to hear from people who saw the program about whether it did a good job. Growing up, there was lots of science on television and I felt like I got a fun and interesting exposure to a broad range of topics, even though occasionally some nonsense about UFOs or Bigfoot (but, wait a minute ...) would creep in. I hope that even this recollection is not just more nostalgia.
