Science

Republicans in 2012, along with their War on Women and War on Omamacare, are engaged in a War on Science. (Republicans accuse the Democrats instead as engaging in a War on Christianity, War on America, and War on Freedom.)

It all comes back to Science though.

Close to 20% of Democrats and Independents believe in naturalistic evolution (without God playing a role), while only 4% of Republicans do. 60% of Republicans believe in Creationism^* (God created humans within the last 10,000 years), while only 38% of Democrats believe that.

The Republicans' weapons in their War on Science include laws being passed in state legislatures they took over in 2010 to promote the teaching of Creationism. In a way, The Republican War on Women can be viewed as part of their War on Science: They simply do not understand the health needs of women.

Ask someone their view on Darwinism, and there's a good chance you can tell how they'll vote.

Ask them in addition to that their view on Global Warming, and your chances will improve.

Science by its nature (no pun intended) is a pragmatic, not faith-based, intellectual enterprise. No one is ever sure of anything in any absolute sense, although there are battles fought amongst theorists. Religion &mdash particularly right-wing Christianity in America — deals in metaphysical absolutes. This is much less so for progressive sects of Christianity. But these don't get air time.

^* Intelligent Design is an attempt to sneak the supernatural into natural science. It posits that natural selection (and modern evolutionary synthesis) is incomplete and that a force outside of natural forces must have generated life on this planet. But it is nothing more than Creationism slowed down to 13.7 billion years instead of 7 days.

This post is the sixth in a series of seven for the 7 Day Blogging Challenge for Bloggers from +Jenson Taylor.