NATURAL STUPEFICATION

It really is no surprise that so many Americans still believe that Bush is honest, that Republicans govern honorably, that there were WMDs in Iraq, etc etc. Just look at how pathetically misinformed most people are about basic science:

New York Times:

In surveys conducted in 2005, people in the United States and 32 European countries were asked whether to respond “true,” “false” or “not sure” to this statement: “Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals.” The same question was posed to Japanese adults in 2001.

The United States had the second-highest percentage of adults who said the statement was false and the second-lowest percentage who said the statement was true, researchers reported in the current issue of Science.

Only adults in Turkey expressed more doubts on evolution. In Iceland, 85 percent agreed with the statement.

We should open a room in SI called "Intro to Evolutionary Biology for Republicans." If we can't entice them with college credit, we could give them some shiny tin foil on a popsicle stick. They'll play with that for hours.

JC