# Conservative Evolutionists **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724 "2009-08-26T01:21:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/1 "2009-08-26T01:21:37Z")
Who are some major conservatives that believe in evolution? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/2 "2009-08-26T01:30:12Z")
What the hell? Do you think that rejection of evolution is one of the tenets of conservatism? As far as I know, ALL serious conservatives believe in evolution except for the kook fringe religious fundamentalists. I know _this_ conservative believes in evolution, although I probably don’t count as “major.” ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/3 "2009-08-26T01:34:51Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > What the hell? Do you think that rejection of evolution is one of the tenets of conservatism? No I don’t think that way. I’m conservative myself and a theistic evolutionist. > [@](#): > > As far as I know, ALL serious conservatives believe in evolution except for the kook fringe religious fundamentalists. I know _this_ conservative believes in evolution, although I probably don’t count as “major.” That may be true although some conservative politicians especially those running for office have attempted to skirt the issue in order to win fundie votes. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/4 "2009-08-26T01:36:51Z")
Well, you may have a point, if you look to politicians courting votes. But most of my friends are conservatives, and NONE of them disbelieve in evolution. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/5 "2009-08-26T02:47:19Z")
You really need to specify country. Anyway, John McCain said he did, and he just lost the US Presidential race. Pretty big conservative. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/6 "2009-08-26T02:59:23Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Well, you may have a point, if you look to politicians courting votes. But most of my friends are conservatives, and NONE of them disbelieve in evolution. And this is why anecdotal evidence is worthless. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/7 "2009-08-26T03:44:44Z")
Human Events considers _The Origin of Species_ to be [one of the most harmful books of the 19th and 20th century](http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=7591). I’ve been meaning to read [The Volokh Conspiracy](http://www.volokh.com/) more, as it is written by a reality-based conservative blogger. He accepts natural selection, but doesn’t seem to have too much of a problem with politicians who do not. [Larry Arnhart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Arnhart) wrote _Darwinian Conservatism_, whose argument has the familiar but peculiar structure that Darwin’s thinking is ok because, well actually it’s quite [del]Marxist[/del] [del]“Progressive”[/del] conservative. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/8 "2009-08-26T03:58:46Z")
A lot do. To look at famous conservative commentators, George Will does, William F. Buckley seemed to believe in theistic evolution. There was an article back in 2005, in the New Republic, where Ben Adler asked a number of conservative thinkers what they thought about evolution and the teaching of intelligent design in school. The actual article isn’t on the New Republic website anymore (or at least I can’t figure out how to get to it), but I found a copy on William Dembski’s blog. Dembski is a big advocate of intelligent design, and I don’t advocate the rest of the things the blog says, but the article seems to have been copied verbatim. [http://www.uncommondescent.com/evolution/conservatives-on-evolution-and-id/](http://www.uncommondescent.com/evolution/conservatives-on-evolution-and-id/) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/9 "2009-08-26T04:03:57Z")
Cross post: I riffed off some other blog posts on the 2005 TNR article that Captain Amazing mentioned. [Conservatives on evolution](http://atheism.about.com/b/2005/07/10/conservatives-on-evolution.htm) I would characterize the answers as follows. Grover Norquist: An evasive no. Pat Buchanan: No Charles Krauthammer: Yes, of course David Frum: Yes [Another cite for same article](http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2005_07_03_digbysblog_archive.html#112079234121891188): William Kristol, The Weekly Standard: “I don’t discuss personal opinions.” Stephen Moore: “I believe in parts of it but I think there are holes in the evolutionary theory.” Jonah Goldberg: Sure William Buckley: Yes John Tierney, reporter for NYT, science I believe: Yes, loth to say much on intelligent design. James Taranto: yes Norman Podhoretz: “It’s impossible to answer that question with a simple yes or no.” Richard Brookhiser: Yes Tucker Carlson: “It’s plausible to me that God designed evolution; I don’t know why that’s outside the realm. It’s not in my view.” Ramesh Ponnuru: Yes David Brooks: Yes, but doesn’t want to comment on intelligent design. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/10 "2009-08-26T04:09:06Z")
Oh and Sam Brownback, Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Rep. Tom Tancredo all raised their hand during a Republican Presidential debate indicating that they did not believe in evolution. [http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/the-first-republican-presidential-debate-three/](http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/the-first-republican-presidential-debate-three/) ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/11 "2009-08-26T04:18:39Z")
Probably has a lot to do with how they were raised. I grew up going to rather strict baptist private schools, and the only time I’d ever even heard of evolution was to let everyone know that it was a bunch of lies. So, when I later went to public school where evolution was somewhat briefly mentioned in freshman bio, I had to stop myself from throwing a righteous fit. I wrote “theory!” at the top of every page of notes/assignments/tests having to do with evolution. I’d been indoctrinated not to disagree with it, but to actively despise it. I shut it out of my head. I didn’t really find out what evolution really was until after high school and I rented a BBC miniseries about the history of it. The version of it I’d been fed was that, SUPPOSEDLY, everything is just spontaneously mutating. Dinosaurs mutated into chickens mutated into elephants mutated into monkeys mutated into people. Nothing about natural selection, more like everything was following some spontaneous path of change. Yeah, right. I think a lot of anti-evolution Christians think this is what evolution is supposed to be. When I found out what it really was, it was probably the biggest “Oooohhhhhhhh!” moment of my life. Although, this happened while I was in the midst of converting to atheism. Whether one was a component or cause of another I can’t really say. I don’t think learning evolution makes you not be a Christian anymore, but for me it was a process of finding out that most of the stuff I’d been fed all my life was inaccurate, and trying to handle all of it. I think a lot of Christian dogma actively preaches against and vilifies evolution, so for a conservative/christian to believe in evolution he’d have to come to that decision on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/12 "2009-08-26T04:31:44Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > I think a lot of Christian dogma actively preaches against and vilifies evolution, so for a conservative/christian to believe in evolution he’d have to come to that decision on its own. That said, the Catholic Church has [made its peace with science](http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2005/07/Darwin-Design-And-The-Catholic-Faith.aspx) for a while. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/13 "2009-08-26T04:47:08Z")
Well, the Catholic Church had been wrong enough times that they took the hint. Modern Christianity hasn’t yet been as famously wrong in a denial of science. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/14 "2009-08-26T05:20:29Z")
Objectivists. Pro-evolution and pro-atheism (though they don’t like to be called conservatives). ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/15 "2009-08-26T09:05:01Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > Well, the Catholic Church had been wrong enough times that they took the hint. Yes, once was apparently enough. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/16 "2009-08-26T14:48:51Z")
> [@](#): > > As far as I know, ALL serious conservatives believe in evolution except for the kook fringe religious fundamentalists. Thats absolutely not true,[only 39% of Americans accept evolution](http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/02/12/1791814.aspx), and those who do tend to be educated non-church goers, which is a Democratic/liberal demographic. I would guestimate that a significant portion of conservatives are evolution deniers. A little more searching produces this: [Nearly six-in-ten conservative Republicans believe that living things have always existed in their present form, while just 11% say that evolution occurred through natural processes. Among liberal Democrats, by contrast, only 29% hold the creationist position, while a plurality (44%) accepts the natural selection theory of evolution.](http://pewforum.org/docs/index.php?DocID=115) 60%! So, yes, its not just the kooks, but the mainstream conservative movement in all its parts. Denying evolution is a mainstream conservative view. Hell, all the cons running for president in 2008 confessed to this position, perhaps with the exception of one. ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/17 "2009-08-26T16:41:15Z")
[Link](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/09/bush-says-creation-incompatible-evolution/) [QUOTE=George W. Bush] Asked about creation and evolution, Bush said: “I think you can have both. I think evolution can – you’re getting me way out of my lane here. I’m just a simple president. But it’s, I think that God created the earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don’t think it’s incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution.” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/18 "2009-08-26T16:44:58Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Objectivists. Pro-evolution and pro-atheism (though they don’t like to be called conservatives). They are more libertarian then conservative (although they don’t like being called Libertarians either). > [@HorseloverFat](#): > > Thats absolutely not true,[only 39% of Americans accept evolution](http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/02/12/1791814.aspx), and those who do tend to be educated non-church goers, which is a Democratic/liberal demographic. I would guestimate that a significant portion of conservatives are evolution deniers. > > A little more searching produces this: > > [Nearly six-in-ten conservative Republicans believe that living things have always existed in their present form, while just 11% say that evolution occurred through natural processes. Among liberal Democrats, by contrast, only 29% hold the creationist position, while a plurality (44%) accepts the natural selection theory of evolution.](http://pewforum.org/docs/index.php?DocID=115) > > 60%! So, yes, its not just the kooks, but the mainstream conservative movement in all its parts. Denying evolution is a mainstream conservative view. Hell, all the cons running for president in 2008 confessed to this position, perhaps with the exception of one. No! Three of the ten Republican candidates in 2007 said they were creationist. Also according to this a plurality of Americans believe in evolution: [[http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/evolution-creationism-intelligent](http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/evolution-creationism-intelligent) design.aspx]([http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/evolution-creationism-intelligent](http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/evolution-creationism-intelligent) design.aspx): > [@](#): > > Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design > > Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings – [ROTATE 1-3/3-1: 1) Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process, 2) Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process, 3) God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so]? > > Man > developed, > with God > guiding > > Man > developed, > but God had > no part in > process > > God created > man in > present form > > Other/ > No > opinion > > % > > % > > % > > % > > 2008 May 8-11 > > 36 > > 14 > > 44 > > 5 > > A. Evolution, that is, the idea that human beings developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life > > Definitely > true > > Probably > true > > Probably > false > > Definitely > false > > No > opinion > > 2007 Jun 1-3 > > 18% > > 35 > > 16 > > 28 > > 3 ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/19 "2009-08-26T16:56:33Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > Who are some major conservatives that believe in evolution? Got a homework assignment, do you? 😃 In general, we aren’t supposed to help you with homework. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724/20 "2009-08-26T17:07:02Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Got a homework assignment, do you? 😃 > In general, we aren’t supposed to help you with homework. 😉 It ain’t a homework assignment. I mean seriously who would ask for homework “Please find out the names of prominent conservatives who believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-evolutionists/507724.md?page=2)