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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, January 10, 2025

The world is flat

Rick Perry doesn't believe in man-made global warming, and he thinks the federal government should play no part in protecting the environment against it. So how does he reconcile his own beliefs with the overwhelming consensus in the scientific community that global warming is real?

Well, Perry says, "Galileo got outvoted for a spell."

Yes, Galileo was challenged by people who clung to religious dogma in the face of incontrovertible evidence that said dogma was nonsense. However, we believe it's likely that had Perry lived through the 17th century, he, too, would have rejected the inconvenient reality of heliocentrism. Galileo may be a convenient talking point now, but back then Perry probably would have accused Galileo of treason — or rather, heresy, which was the prevailing terminology — and suggested that the church "treat him pretty ugly," too.

Rick Perry's denial of global warming reveals a troubling pattern taking hold among the current crop of Republican presidential candidates: Science, they seem to be telling us, is just a lie perpetrated by scientists.

"I think there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects," Perry said.

Evolution, too, is dubious, according to Perry. "It's a theory that's out there," Perry said, just as valid as any other, like creationism. "In Texas, we teach both evolution and creationism in our public schools," he said.

Actually, they don't. Only evolution is covered by biology classes in Texas public schools; the mandated curriculum makes no mention of creationism.

Never mind that Perry doesn't know the content of biology curricula in his own state — which is troubling, to say the least, since the teaching of evolution has been an extremely contentious issue nationwide, particularly in Texas. What's truly disturbing about Perry's words is that here again is a scientific consensus backed by over a century of research conducted by some of the most distinguished minds in history, and here again is the Republican frontrunner disregarding it in favor of right-wing dogma.

And the rest of the Republican field — with the exception of long-shot John Huntsman — has been equally eager to disregard scientific evidence when doing so is politically expedient.

It isn't surprising though, when one considers that one of the only GOP candidates to accept global warming, John Huntsman, has the support of less than two percent of Republican primary voters, according to most public opinion polls. That the future of education reform in this country could one day lie in the hands of people with such disdain for scientific evidence is a chilling prospect.

Republican officials have invested a tremendous amount of energy and resources on their war on science. We suggest they reinvest those resources in an issue that matters: global warming, for example.


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