Why Does It Matter? 387- America has fallen behind many other nations in technological and scientific suprem-
acy, which threatens the economic future of us all.
Thanks to the scientific illiteracy of our general population and the hostile environment for
science that creationism is promoting, we are falling behind many other nations in the one area
where we used to excel, science and technology. Study after study has documented a “brain
drain” of scientists going to other countries with less anti-intellectualism and more favorable
climates for science, especially in fields that are opposed strenuously by fundamentalists (like
stem-cell research or cloning). America can no longer compete to make the cheapest or best
electronics, toys, cars, or most anything else, as China, Korea, India, Singapore, Indonesia,
and many other nations have taken those tasks away from us in corporate cutbacks and out-
sourcing. For many years, we could brag that we won a lion’s share of the Nobel Prizes in
science, but that dominance is now coming to an end as well. If we can’t compete with other
nations in manufacturing and commerce, and we give away our advantages in science and
technology, what kind of world are we leaving for our children? What does this imply for our
national security when we farm out not only blue-collar but also white-collar jobs and then
are slaves to other countries that are doing better science and technology as well? - Denial of evolution is not just bad science, but it threatens our health and well-being.
As discussed in chapter 3, evolution keeps happening all the time, whether creationists
want to believe it or not. Yet if we deny the fact that evolution is happening in viruses and
bacteria and in other pathogens and pests, it only makes the problem worse when they
FIGURE 16.2. Plot comparing acceptance of evolution (measured by acceptance of ideas that “human beings,
as we know them, evolved from earlier species of animals”) versus national wealth (as measured by GDP
per capita). Northern European countries are at the top of the graph, followed down the curve by southern
European countries, and then by former Soviet Bloc countries of Eastern Europe. The United States is the sole
outlier, with science literacy on the level of Turkey, but more spending per student than any country except
Norway. (Modified from Prothero 2013a).
Percent of the public that believes in evolution80604020Gross domestic product per capita$10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000DenmarkIceland
France Sweden
Japan United Kingdom Norway
Spain GermanyBelgium
Hungary Italy Netherlands
IrelandTurkeyUnited StatesSloveniaFinlandCzech Rep.Latvia CyprusSlovak Rep.Estonia Portugal
Malta Switzerland
Bulgaria LithuaniaPoland
Romania Croatia Austria
Greece