Why smoking makes you stupider than not believing in evolution
Whenever I have a discussion on scientific literacy, the topic of “creationism” comes up. Even though the scientific community has unanimously accepted the theory of evolution as fact, a small minority of religious fundamentalists have stubbornly refused to acknowledge its truth. They believe (incorrectly) that the concept of evolution contradicts the creation story as recorded in the Book of Genesis, and therefore could not possibly be true.
Of course, the evidence for evolution is overwhelming! So these creationists must be a bunch of idiots, right? Well, consider this:
In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, Forrest’s mother famously reminded her son that “stupid is as stupid does.” In other words, a slow wit and lack of education won’t hurt you nearly as much as making poor life decisions. Even though evolution stands as a pillar of biology, not believing in it carries no personal or professional consequences. In contrast, habitual tobacco users will face a myriad of setbacks due to their pernicious habit.
Skeptical? Examine this chart:
As you can see, unless you’re a biology teacher, not accepting evolution won’t affect you. At all.
The scientific community has long recognized the ill effects of tobacco use. Smokers who don’t know about the risks associated with their habit are bona fide science illiterates. But what about the folks who understand the effects of tobacco use and still pick up the habit? Now that’s entering a stratum of stupidity that’s beyond my level of comprehension.
By making the right choices in life, “simple-minded” folks often find themselves in a more advantaged position than their “intellectually gifted” counterparts. For example, I know someone who graduated at the top of her class studying French literature at a prestigious private university. She now works at Starbucks and earns about one third the salary of a friend who skipped college entirely in favor of an HVAC apprenticeship.
Bizarrely, despite her dismal pay and high student loans, this young barista undoubtedly fancies herself smarter than the construction guy who’s vastly better off than her.
What can I say? Stupid is as stupid does.
