VP-Elect Mike Pence Does Not Accept Evolution: Here's Why That ...

Pence begins by discussing Charles Darwin talking about how he “offered a theory of the origin of species which we’ve come to know as evolution. Charles Darwin never thought of evolution as anything other than a theory. He hoped that someday it would be proven by the fossil record but did not live to see that, nor have we.” I have previously written about Darwin never seeing the fossils that would later support his theory, so I and most other paleontologists completely disagree that support for Darwin’s idea has never been found.
He goes on to bemoan the Scopes Monkey Trial saying we have “seen the consequences” in the following years, lamenting the fact the biblical story of creation is not taught in every biology class around the country alongside Darwin. It is unclear if Pence is either willfully or unknowingly misrepresenting the scientific definition of the word “theory”. In scientific terms, a theory is the highest designation of knowledge and represents something that has been rigorously tested using the scientific method. 98% of scientists surveyed believe humans evolved over time, so among experts, this is not a debate anyone is having.
Pence finds good company in the American public though. A 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center indicates while 62% of adults say humans have evolved over time, 33% say this change is solely due to natural processes, with 25% saying evolution is guided by a supreme being. This response is strongly influenced by religious affiliation, with 91% of atheists accepting evolution through natural processes compared with 21% of Christians. This is roughly in line with the 2006 study by Jon Miller and colleagues that shows the USA on the bottom of the pile when ranking the percentage of people who responded "true" to the statement "Human Beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals."
The figure from Miller et al. 2006 about the public acceptance of evolution (Image credit: Public... [+] Domain via author John D. Croft)
In this 2009 clip, Pence continued to be cagey about his personal beliefs and acceptance of evolution to MSNBC host Chris Matthews but his thoughts were made clear back in 2002—and now with him as VP, how will this matter to the American public?
Many court battles have been fought over the fact personal religious beliefs are just that—personal—and have no business making an appearance inside a science classroom. The fact that Pence felt strongly enough to make this speech inside a house of government reveals he does not see religion and science as two separate entities. The symbolism of anti-evolution rhetoric those like Pence use undermines scientific progress, as evolution is a common thread in many National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health research programs from biology to psychology to medicine.
As so many things in the country, science has become a partisan issue unnecessarily and for this, we will suffer in the future. Scientists are already concerned about budget cuts, especially to certain areas related to evolutionary biology and environment—and rightfully so. GOP officials have had the National Science Foundation (NSF) in their crosshairs for a while, picking on certain grants that to most scientists have obvious applicability. They have been drawing up lists of “absurd spending items” for years, lists that include a $331,000 grant to study aggression, which had previously been marked as beneficial research that could allow for greater understanding of violence that leads to mass homicides. The NSF has a $7.7 billion budget that is made to feel ephemeral and the specter of uncertainty will not bode well for feelings of stability in laboratories across the country.
Republican presidential elect Donald Trump (R) reaches to his Vice President elect Mike Pence during... [+] election night at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York on November 9, 2016. Trump stunned America and the world Wednesday, riding a wave of populist resentment to defeat Hillary Clinton in the race to become the 45th president of the United States. / AFP / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
The issue is we as a society might not see or know how we suffer in the future—the biotech start up that a grad student would have founded or the lifesaving drug treatment may never exist if the basic funding never comes through. The greatest damage caused will be the absence of a better future, one that we will never realize.
Voters and the American public did not care enough to press for answers on scientific questions—either policy or funding related— instead focusing more on personality cults and emails. Many will say the economy is important and should be put above all else, as it likely will be in this administration, but those who do that at the expense of research are missing that science and innovation is a vital part of that economy.
We do not know what is going to happen with the new government and funding for science but we need to be vigilant. We cannot let progress stop, and as scientist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus points out, it is possible that an oppositional government could invigorate the environmental movement. An easy way to make America even greater would be to support our scientists and fund their research without pointlessly scrutinizing it. With job security, funding, and public support of innovation, the US economy and society at large would only reap the rewards.