Inside Story Americas: Why Do US Republicans Distrust Science?

August 24, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

As the US presidential campaign of Republican candidate Mitt Romney is sideswiped by a Missouri senate candidate's misunderstanding of biology, we ask if Republicans have a problem with science. It does seem that many in the party have a hard time accepting ideas such as evolution or climate change. So why do many Republicans mistrust widely accepted scientific facts? Guests Ronald Numbers, Barry Bickmore, and Ryan Grimm discuss.

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Todd Akin

William Todd Akin is the former U.S. Representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district, serving from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis area. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Worce... Explore this topic

Climate change denial

Climate change denial is a set of organized attempts to downplay, deny or dismiss the scientific consensus on the extent of global warming, its significance, and its connection to human behavior, especially for commercial or ideological reasons. Typically, these attempts take ... Explore this topic

Creationism

Creationism is a doctrine held by some Christians that God creates a soul for each body that is generated. Alternative Christian views on the origin of souls are traducianism and also the idea of a pre-existence of the soul. Explore this topic

Stem cell research policy

Stem cell research policy, varies significantly throughout the world. There are overlapping jurisdictions of international organizations, nations, and states or provinces. Some government policies determine what is allowed versus prohibited, whereas others outline what researc... Explore this topic

Climate change

Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions, or in the distribution of weather around the average conditions. Cli... Explore this topic

Christian right

Christian right is a term used in the United States to describe right-wing Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies. Christian conservatives principally seek to apply their understanding of the teachings of Chr... Explore this topic

Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012

The Mitt Romney presidential campaign of 2012 began when Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in a bid to win the 2012 presidential election. His candidacy was formally announced on June 2, 201... Explore this topic

Stem cell controversy

The stem cell controversy is the ethical debate primarily concerning the creation, treatment, and destruction of human embryos incident to research involving embryonic stem cells. Not all stem cell research involves the creation, use, or destruction of human embryos. For examp... Explore this topic

Abortion debate

The abortion debate refers to the ongoing controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the self-described "pro-choice" movement (emphasizing the right of women to choose whether they wish to bring a fet... Explore this topic

Ronald Numbers

Ronald L. Numbers is an American historian of science. He was awarded the 2008 George Sarton Medal by the History of Science Society for "a lifetime of exceptional scholarly achievement by a distinguished scholar". Explore this topic

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Todd Akin

Climate change denial

Creationism

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