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Last week I got to hear U of C professor Jerry Coyne talk about evolution at the Graham School of General Studies. Coyne showed the accompanying graph, originally from a Science article by former Chicagoan Jon Miller (who was mentioned in this blog last August) comparing different countries on the percentage of their populations who believe evolution is a fact. (Coyne thoroughly established that it is, if you’re wondering, but that’s another story.) The United States ranks next to last, with about 40% knowing this, just ahead of Turkey; Iceland was first with close to 80%.
Hmmm…an empire that claims to spread liberty…a country where most people don’t believe the fact of evolution but identify with countries where most people do…a country where we’re sure that “anyone who wants to work can make it” as wages for work actually decline (PDF). Do we have a diagnosis?
