Evolution, Creation, and Politics

Evolution has become an issue in this election cycle. Candidates have been asked their views -- more on the GOP side than the other. DeWayne Wickham asks in a USA Today opinion piece, if one's view of evolution matters in this election.

Mike Huckabee, as Wickham reminds us, said he wasn't going to be writing any textbooks, but he did see it as a matter of belief in God or not. Wickham notes too that there are many of us -- and I would include myself in that category -- who affirm the science of evolution but also see the hand of God involved (John McCain affirmed that principle).

The question is, does one's view on this issue matter?

Well, it does matter, and as Wickham points out, how one views this issue will influence one's views of education policy and science policy. The current administration has questioned the science of global warming and stem cell research, in the latter asserting moral principles above science. If Mr. Huckabee were president, would his creationist views (and he wouldn't say whether he's a young earth creationist or not) influence how he viewed and yes funded science projects. Would he veto research projects that were influenced by evolutionary theory?

So, the question of whether it matters, seems to me, to be yes it does!