These
words by Evolutionary Psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa
(Interdisciplinary Institute of Management, London School of
Economics and Political Science, see HERE) reminds me that progress
in science is the work of some few minds, that knowledge is not
for everybody. As Einstein said, science demands courage, not intelligence. Words worth paraphrasing at the beginning of my Introduction in a few lines:
Part
of Millerʼs pessimism for the
future of evolutionary psychology in the United States concerns its
pervasive Christian fundamentalism. According to the September 8-11,
2005, Gallup polls, 53% of Americans believe in the literal truth of
the Book of Genesis, and further 31% believe that God “guided”
the process of evolution (Newport, 2006). Only 12% believe that God
had no part in evolution. More frighteningly, 38% of university
graduates and 25% of postgraduates with Masterʼs
and Ph.D.s believe in the literal truth of the Book of Genesis.
(These numbers increase to 66% and 44%, respectively, among graduates
and postgraduates who attend church regularly.) Obviously, these
people will never understand or accept the theory of evolution by
natural and sexual selection.
But
so what?
Over
99.99% of Americans (including, I might add, a large number of
physicists) do not understand or accept quantum mechanics or
superstring theory. Yet we never hear quantum physicists or string
theorists complain about the public lack of understanding of their
subject matter. True, Americans are not up in arms about quantum
mechanics or superstring theory the way they are about evolution, and
they donʼt demand that
“alternative” Ptolemaic cosmology be taught in tandem with
quantum mechanics and superstring theory the way they demand that
creationism be taught. But this is entirely because they are not
aware of what these theories entail. If the civilians find out that
particles do not have definite locations or velocities and can
instead only be described as probability waves or that the very act
of observation fundamentally changes the nature of what is observed,
or if they learn that the universe contains 12 physical dimensions
instead of the familiar 3 dimensions, then they would be just as
disturbed and upset as they are to learn that we are descended from
monkeys.
Physicists
donʼt have to deal with
“certaintyists” or “three-dimensionalists” the way we must
deal with creationists because they keep the civilians ignorant about
the true nature of their theories. Any effort to educate them would
only have deleterious consequences. It seems to me that evolutionary
psychologists can learn lessons from physicists. Keep them ignorant
(the civilians, not the physicists). Let them be taught creationism
and “intelligent design” in schools along with evolution. The
smart few will realize that there is something wrong with creationism
and naturally opt for evolution. They belong with us. Who cares about
the rest?
It
seems to me that there is a way to present our research to the public
on mating intelligence, fluctuating asymmetry, or even cryptic
ovulation, without constantly reminding them that we share common
descent with chimpanzees. The less the civilians know, the better.
Once again, science is not democracy; we cannot enlighten everybody.
Science is an inherently elitist enterprise.
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