Liberals Are Also Waging a 'War on Science'

Both sides eschew science when it suits them: Michael Shermer
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2013 12:08 PM CST
Liberals Are Also Waging a 'War on Science'
Genetically modified foods are a popular target for liberals.   (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)

Conventional wisdom holds that Republicans, not Democrats, are waging a war on science. But "there's a liberal war on science" too, writes Michael Shermer in Scientific American. Yes, it's true that 58% of conservatives believe humans were created, by God, in the past 10,000 years. But 41% of liberals hold that same belief. Similarly, 51% of Republicans doubt the Earth is heating up, but 19% of Democrats feel the same way. "These numbers do not exactly bolster the common belief that liberals are the people of the science book," Shermer writes.

And there's more: Liberals tend to be against nuclear energy (waste disposal issues), hydroelectric energy (dams in rivers interfere with ecosystems), fossil fuels (climate change), and wind power (bird deaths). And then there's the fight against genetically modified foods, even though GMOs are really the only way we can feed the planet. "The underlying current is 'everything natural is good' and 'everything unnatural is bad,'" Shermer writes. The truth is that both sides treat science just about equally, they just feel strongly about different issues. It's time to encourage moderation on both sides. Click for Shermer's full column. (More environmentalism stories.)

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