Belief in evolution among Republicans has dropped more than 10 percentage points since 2009, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center.
Pew found that 43 percent of Republicans said they believed humans and other living beings had evolved over time, down from 54 percent in 2009. More (48 percent) said they believed all living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.
You know I wish I could be more surprised by this, but I'm not.
If the GOP intellect continues to deteriorate at such a rapid rate, in no time they will be using stone tools and contacting each other using carrier pigeons instead of e-mail.
However what I did find surprising were these statistics: Democratic belief in evolution went from 64 percent in 2009 to 67 percent in 2013; independent belief dipped from 67 percent in 2009 to 65 percent in 2013.
There are really 33% of Democrats and 35% of Independents who do not recognize the difference between fact and superstition? That literally makes my head hurt.
We have GOT to make sure that Evolution is taught in our public schools, along with critical thinking, and Understanding Advertising 101.
If our young people were well versed in those disciplines they would be inoculated against all kinds of political mumbo jumbo.
AND the global rethuglicon STUPIDITY INDEX soared 500 % !!!
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
I think teaching Humanities is also important. My daughter studied Humanities, and it exposed her to the tenets of all the major religions. She seemed to admire Buddhism the most, but she doesn’t practice anything. She goes to Christmas services (Lutheran) with her father’s family sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThe people who deny Evolution will often accept the moths of London getting darker along with the smog to avoid detection by birds, they acknowledge adaptation, but the sticking point is man evolving from apes. They won’t go there. The question should have two parts, I think.
The stat re Republicans believing less in evolution could be a result of those who do believe in evolution no longer identifying as Republican - thus leading to a concentration of the non-evolution believers. A good thing if people are no longer identifying with the Republican anti-science party.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first thought regarding republicans and belief in evolution. Percents don't say much without the actual numbers to back them up.
DeleteGroupthink among those afraid of losing their *culture* and their standing within their peer group often leads to self-delusion and denial of anything that threatens their belief structure. They are simply afraid of opening their minds because a big part of their identity is in the affiliation with the conservative community. This devolves into a mindset which makes it acceptable to tell lies about or go against anything they are told to ignore or disdain by their opinion leaders, or they will be ostracized by their peers. These people are often terrified of having their children learn to think critically and to question authority, i.e., to ask "Why?".
DeleteIn my simple mind, it appears like the fake conservatives (who are usually faux Christians as well) never learned anything from the story about the King who wore no clothes. Maybe I missed my calling 25+ years ago, fresh out of college with my undergrad degree in marketing, and should have immediately begun selling (beautiful!) invisible clothing to a specific target market of the most gullible lemmings with a few coins in their pockets. My MBA in Finance affirms that it would likely be very lucrative to operate a business that sells a product which requires very little overhead, no R&D, no transportation costs, nor even any Cost of Goods (COGS), and is invisible (note:only invisible to thinking people, skeptics, and evil, godless heathens). But my integrity wouldn't allow me to sell a make-believe bullshit product, because then I'd be engaged in the same type of fraud as The Quitter®, who simply packages herself in a 10 yr old boy's size of skinny (smelly) black jeans, a pair of hooker-style, stilted height-extenders, Jeebuz belt buckle, and whatever gaudy pajama top or other tacky new shirt or blouse she finds on the floor of her youngest daughter. The bow on top of this package, of course, is the dirty, disgustingly cheap, uncoiffed varmit that is perched atop her enormous gourd, overlooking the over-sized airbags she pretends are her magic "here today but tomorrow,ya never know" breasts. There's lots more, but I've said enough since it is only downhill from there.
DeleteBut speaking of self-delusion, I do wonder what the former half-term Quitter® sees when she looks at herself in the mirror.
A failed mother/spouse/cancelled reality show participant who is rapidly balding, cosmetic surgery addict (not to mention the alcohol, meth, speed)?
Or a beauty queen who REALLY beat Maryline BLACKburn way back in '84, and deserved that goddam crown!
Poor Sarah. Bless her heart.
I think there is a whole lot of lying going on in the GOP. Someone is afraid their lunatic fringe will hear they might not be as crazy and ignorant as the fringe wants them to be.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry. Today science is evil to them, tomorrow they'll bring back hanging witches (all democrats of course). You know, because of jesus.
It has long been a recognized tenet that it is easy to lie with statistics. And polls are notorious about varying simply by the way the question is asked!
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, however, there are times when a poll really can't be denied; times like when 82% of the population WANTED some sort of gun regulation. The numbers were just too overwhelming.
Further, in this case, it is easy to believe since so many of those damned fools in the repube party vocalize their disbelief in things like global warming.
Of course, in that particular case, their "disbelief" is based on their concern for costing their rich donors more money!
As for the evolution question? Well, when you have ignorant shits like Cruz making headlines and saying they believe that crap, it's not surprising.
The book should be titled "Big book of Republican Mythology"
ReplyDeleteScience has nothing to do with faith, belief systems, religions, or bibles
I'm not sure about that gravity theory either Gryph, never know when things might just start falling up.
ReplyDelete-physics gramma
Well, it is just a "theory." ;)
Delete58 million GOP voters voted for Palin for VP in 2008
ReplyDeleteProof of how dumb Republicans are...
I read that deniers believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. . .because the Arc. SMH
ReplyDeleteJust for you, Jesse. I freaking love Wonkette!
ReplyDeletehttp://wonkette.com/537216/wingnuts-and-the-crazy-things-they-said-about-science-let-us-review-2013-and-weep-for-the-planet#more-537216
I personally know some of these people that disbelieve evolution.
ReplyDeleteTwo of them, retired now, were elementary school teachers.
One of them wholeheartedly believes in psychics (one of her heroes was Sylvia Browne), angels, faith healing (she believes she was once healed by Benny Hinn) and the healing power of prayer. (Faith-healing is done by someone else, you do your own prayer-healing. That's how it was explained to me, anyway.)
She considers herself a Reiki master and believes in and utilizes Radionics. She believes in the power of crystals and takes dousing classes. She has a (very expensive) pendulum she uses to decide which physician prescribed medications she should take ...or not!
It hurts my brain to talk to her sometimes.
Her children and grandchildren think she's brilliant.
Some of her sisters and one brother think she's "a bit eccentric" and/or "a little goofy, maybe" but "harmless".
I think she's dangerous (because of her advice to others about NOT taking their prescribed meds).
Belief in nonsense is NOT harmless.
The problem is that so many Republicans see evolution as a belief and not a fact. Evolution is a fact, period; there should be no debate. You could say the world is flat and that would not change the fact that the earth is not flat.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Galileo have to go on the run because of his facts? The facts that the Charlatans (the Church) would not accept?
I guess the old adage is as true as ever, "The more things change, the more things remain the same".
One of my major problems with polls is that the subject matter is often too complex for the
ReplyDeleteaverage citizen to opine about or it requires worthless speculation.
The questions in this poll , however ,
were very straightforward.
Which is why the responses are horrifying and not just for the Republican party.
Only 72 % of college educated Americans believe that man evolved over time.
24 % of college educated Americans believe
that " man has always existed
in his present form ".
Only 77 % of college grads believe that animals have evolved,
with 21 % believing that " animals have always existed in their present form ".
The teaching of science has obviously failed miserably across the spectrum.
Republicans are losing their best and brightest who must be fleeing the party in droves.
Home schooling and the proliferation of Bible schools must be a factor in the ignorance.
The only ones soon left in the Republican Party
will ironically be the
Palin and Duck Dynasty knuckle draggers.
Although Neaderthals and Cro-Magnum were probably more intelligent and don't deserve the insult.
I bet if Pew called the Palin, Duck Dynasty Republicans and asked their thoughts on Cro-Magnum ,
the response would be " it's my favorite handgun ".
Or they would angrily hang up on the pollster because
they thought Pew was asking about a condom.
Philosophy>Logic> Critical Thinking>Understanding advertising = applied critical thinking. Guess what subject is not taught in elementary, middle or secondary schools (rarely), and is under attack at state universities? (Yeah, talking about YOU Purdue University under former Republican governor now illegitimately appointed University President Mitch Daniels)
ReplyDeleteThat book cover is totally wrong. According to a book I checked out from the public library, the reason there are no dinosaurs is because they missed Noah's ark and were all killed in the flood. (It was a children's book we checked out during my daughter's dinosaur phase and before she could read. I read aloud the pertinent parts about what a dinosaur looked like and ate, and skipped the parts about the flood. But I was surprised the public library would carry that book.)
ReplyDelete