An "Irrational Attachment to The Theory of Evolution"? In Gail Collins' NY Times column today, she says this: Huckabee seems to be a nice guy, but conservatives are afraid he’d break up the old evangelical-plutocrat Republican alliance and most liberals are restrained by their irrational attachment to the theory of evolution. Excuse me? I can't quite tell if Collins is being tongue-in-cheek (I frankly don't read her column enough to get where she's coming from), but it looks like Collins is the rationally challenged one here. What she just said is as absurd as something like: "most liberals are restrained by their irrational attachment to the theory of quantum mechanics." For people like myself who prefer to reside in the reality-based community, acceptance of the evidence for evolution is in fact an excellent litmus test for people who want my vote. It's a good indication of how decision-makers value evidence versus pet beliefs. Scientific evidence does not necessarily dictate what the correct government policy should be, but it sure as hell can rule out harebrained ones. I view that as a good thing. This post isn't an endoresement or a slam against any particular political party or candidate - except of course candidates who have an irrational opposition to very successful, fundamental fields of science. The point is, creation vs. evolution isn't just some freak side issue on the fringes of the culture wars - it cuts to the heart of how people respond to the single most successful approach humans have developed for understanding and influencing the reality-based world.