{"id":2569,"date":"2010-09-28T19:54:56","date_gmt":"2010-09-28T23:54:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timscogitorium.com\/tinblog\/?p=2569"},"modified":"2010-11-24T09:44:05","modified_gmt":"2010-11-24T14:44:05","slug":"evolution-elections-and-limits-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timscogitorium.com\/tinblog\/2010\/09\/evolution-elections-and-limits-of-faith.html","title":{"rendered":"Evolution, elections, and the limits of faith"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Evolution\"<\/a>
Photo by latvian on Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It probably doesn’t seem like whether or not a candidate accepts evolution is very relevant to the job they’ll do in office. After all, the vast majority of politicians have no opportunity to directly impact or even influence the field of biology.\u00a0 Although, in many cases, it is used as a litmus test of sorts by bible literalists to determine if a candidate is a true believer.<\/p>\n

During the 2008 Republican debate at the Reagan Library, all 10 candidates were asked if they believed in evolution.\u00a0 Three indicated they did not<\/a>.\u00a0 More recently, Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell was quoted as saying evolution was a myth<\/a>.\u00a0 And Sarah Palin states in “Going Rogue”<\/a> that she doesn’t believe in evolution.\u00a0 Clearly, some politicians see this position as playing to a certain group of voters.<\/p>\n

However, there is a larger concern about someone with a staunch position against evolution.\u00a0 That person is basically saying they are immune to data and reason.\u00a0 Evolution has 200 years of scientific data and research behind it.\u00a0 The politicians discounting it as fiction are not doing so because they’ve studied all the information and have come to the conclusion the theory doesn’t hold water.\u00a0 Rather, they are faced with the situation that significant data are contrary to their ideology or worldview, and so they are dismissing the data.<\/p>\n

This is not simply a matter of placing religion as paramount.\u00a0 This is a matter of once this person has taken a position, there is no reasoning with them.\u00a0 They will not be swayed.\u00a0 Some may see this as a sign of strength, but after eight long years of George Bush’s damn the data, stay the course policies, we should all be very wary of anyone who remotely thinks they already have the answers, and who won’t be truly open to rational arguments from the other side.<\/p>\n

Evolution is not a question of faith.\u00a0 It’s a question of rationality… and we need more of that in politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It probably doesn’t seem like whether or not a candidate accepts evolution is very relevant to the job they’ll do<\/p>\n

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