Extracts from The Infinite Monkey Cage Podcast – Chicago
Fossil Records and other Archaoelogical Hits
Guests:
Peter Sagal - playwright, screenwriter, actor
Paul Sereno – Palaeontologist
Julia Sweeney – Actress, comedian and author
Jerry Coyne – Evolutionary biologist
Peter Sagal
I want to say something in defence of American stupidity, which I make my living making fun of. Why is fighting evolution, and denying it, and being aggressively creationist such a big thing here in the USA? Remember, American culture and society was founded by the Puritans who you guys threw out because they were so obnoxiously wrong. Their attitude was, to hell with you, we are so certain of our opinions we are going to travel the ocean in our rickety wooden boats and risk starving to death just so we have the right to be wrong.
There’s something about the American character and experience which is, if my society thinks I’m an idiot, I have the right to go over there and find like minded idiots and set up my own town. Here in the Midwest there are many places like New Harmony Indiana, which were set up as utopian communities for these people from the east coast in the early 19th century. The Mormons of course are the last and most successful remnant of this (they were supposed to be in Missouri before they got kicked out of there). These people said: We believe something profoundly different, and you tell us we’re wrong but we think you’re wrong, so we’re going over there to get way from you.
And that freedom to be profoundly stupid is really an important part of the American creed. It’s why we beat you.
No comments:
Post a Comment