# Why are Republicans so obtuse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 2, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412 "2010-02-02T18:04:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/161 "2010-02-04T20:30:53Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > I am open to ideas. Skipping human evolution how does science explain how the earth was created and can it be proven? If I am unsure of something then why bother debating? I thought debating was about exchanging ideas and learning from it. Does someone always have to be right? Stellar bodies (like our sun) collect things called _accretionary discs._ These are rings of small particles spinning around the body. Over time, these accretionary discs increase in volume, as the sun’s mass draws in (via gravitational force) other small objects flying through space. After a _really_ long time, these small particles begin clumping together - a bit like dust bunnies under a couch or behind a desk. Some of those clumps became planets. Others were destroyed in collisions with other objects, or thrown out of the Sun’s gravity well by impacts. Over time, things like asteroids and comets (which are often composed largely of ice) impacted the earth, bringing water and other compounds. A few billion years later, hey presto! Earth. That’s somewhat oversimplified, but there are all sorts of resources here and elsewhere which offer a more complete picture. Some of our members are astrophysicists and planetary geologists. I’m sure they will be pleased to help if you start asking questions in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/162 "2010-02-04T21:34:35Z")
Thanks for the heads up, Really All Not All That Bright and Kearson. I’ll stay off this page from now on. I do understand how scientists say that the earth was created from particles etc. There is just no way to prove it. I’d be a fool to say I know how the earth was created without being able to recreate it in a lab. It’s too bad that we can’t just agree to disagree on some things. I have an inquiring mind and try to never dismiss a point. Sometimes that is how I learn something new. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/163 "2010-02-04T21:39:47Z")
In that case, let’s teach the theory that the entire universe was formed out of my asshole yesterday morning too … I mean, as long as your mind is open to _everything._ ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/164 "2010-02-04T21:41:24Z")
It can’t be recreated in a _lab_, but you can watch it being recreated in space anytime you like. The difference is simply that you have to accept that there are certain ways to date processes like that - since for obvious reasons you can’t observe them yourself (ie., you’d be dead before the clump was one millionth of its future size). ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/165 "2010-02-04T22:17:30Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > I have an inquiring mind and try to never dismiss a point. Sometimes that is how I learn something new. So let us know what you think of all those really good threads about evolution that I mentioned earlier. You’ll probably learn a lot of new things. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/166 "2010-02-04T22:48:06Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > Thanks for the heads up, Really All Not All That Bright and Kearson. > > I’ll stay off this page from now on. I do understand how scientists say that the earth was created from particles etc. There is just no way to prove it. I’d be a fool to say I know how the earth was created without being able to recreate it in a lab. > > It’s too bad that we can’t just agree to disagree on some things. I have an inquiring mind and try to never dismiss a point. Sometimes that is how I learn something new. Here is the way we know things (in the loose sense) without doing them in a lab. (We never prove anything.) We have made only a subset of all the observations about something that we can make. Based on the observations we have made, and the hypothesis or theory, we predict what observations we are likely to make, and which things we shouldn’t expect to see. For instance, since we predict that a whale used to be a land animal, we can predict that we will find a fossil of a land dwelling ancestor to a whale someday. (And we have.) We can also predict that we will not find human remains, or the remains of any modern animal, in ancient fossil beds. (And we haven’t.) I’m not sure of the predictions of the current theory of planetary development, except that since planets are being made all the time, we should see accretion in a dust cloud around some other star - and we have. Now, we can create the earth in a lab, if by lab you are willing to accept computer models that obey the laws of physics. We can use these to see what happens under certain reasonable initial conditions. I don’t have a cite, but I am 99% sure these models have been built and planets result. Good enough for you? ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/167 "2010-02-05T07:31:21Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > Thanks for the heads up, Really All Not All That Bright and Kearson. > > I’ll stay off this page from now on. I do understand how scientists say that the earth was created from particles etc. There is just no way to prove it. I’d be a fool to say I know how the earth was created without being able to recreate it in a lab. > > It’s too bad that we can’t just agree to disagree on some things. I have an inquiring mind and try to never dismiss a point. Sometimes that is how I learn something new. Theres a fine line between having an open mind and having a hole in your head. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/168 "2010-02-05T14:56:48Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Any sentence that begins that way is presumptively the work of an idiot. As the overwhelming majority of Americans have been Christian throughout the nation’s history, it is entirely reasonable to speak of the United States as a Christian nation. However, insisting that America is somehow not a Christian nation because its political institutions were not specifically designed to be Christian is worse than merely stupid. It is both stupid and dishonest. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/169 "2010-02-05T15:01:00Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > As the overwhelming majority of Americans have been Christian throughout the nation’s history, it is entirely reasonable to speak of the United States as a Christian nation. However, insisting that America is somehow not a Christian nation because its political institutions were not specifically designed to be Christian is worse than merely stupid. It is both stupid and dishonest. The nation’s founding document specifically prohibits any established religion. When the first amendment is repealed, your argument will hold water. For now, it is both stupid and dishonest. It is entirely reasonable to speak of the United States as a \*majority-\*Christian nation, because it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/170 "2010-02-05T15:07:59Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > As the overwhelming majority of Americans have been Christian throughout the nation’s history, it is entirely reasonable to speak of the United States as a Christian nation. However, insisting that America is somehow not a Christian nation because its political institutions were not specifically designed to be Christian is worse than merely stupid. It is both stupid and dishonest. The majority of Americans have also been white. That doesn’t make it a “white nation.” The United States is a secular state with a majority Christian _population_, but calling it a “Christian nation” is misleading. The “nation,” as such, has no religion. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/171 "2010-02-05T15:19:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > We _are_ apes … Some of us more than others … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/172 "2010-02-05T15:24:38Z")
Don’t worry. You’re about to pass the apex of your evolutionary curve. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/173 "2010-02-05T15:25:29Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The nation’s founding document specifically prohibits any established religion. When the first amendment is repealed, your argument will hold water. For now, it is both stupid and dishonest. > > It is entirely reasonable to speak of the United States as a \*majority-\*Christian nation, because it’s true. The first amendment has nothing to do with it. Christianity has been the overwhelmingly dominant religious influence in America ever since its founding, and it is absurd to insist that the first amendment somehow means America is not a Christian nation. You’re just playing silly word games here, and you know it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/174 "2010-02-05T15:27:05Z")
Are the New England Patriots a black football team? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/175 "2010-02-05T15:31:48Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > The first amendment has nothing to do with it. Christianity has been the overwhelmingly dominant religious influence in America ever since its founding, and it is absurd to insist that the first amendment somehow means America is not a Christian nation. You’re just playing silly word games here, and you know it. America is not a Christian nation. Christianity has no bearing on the state as a state. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/176 "2010-02-05T15:32:44Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > You’re just playing silly word games here, and you know it. Those founding fathers and their silly word games. I say we take this to the next level and discuss the silly word games inherrent in the 2nd amendment next. Hell, we can work our way right through the Bill of Rights and see what kind of shit we can stir. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/177 "2010-02-05T15:32:47Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The majority of Americans have also been white. That doesn’t make it a “white nation.” That’s a whole 'nother thread. Don’t you people ever get tired of equating everything with race? In any case, as the overwhelmingly dominant cultural influence on the United States is European and most Americans are white, it is entirely reasonable to speak of the U.S. as a white nation. If you want to debate that, start another thread. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The United States is a secular state with a majority Christian _population_, but calling it a “Christian nation” is misleading. The “nation,” as such, has no religion. Putting words in “quotations” to make it “seem” as if those “words” are somehow “meaningless” or are “somehow” being “misused” is a very tiresome and sophomoric debating trick. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/178 "2010-02-05T15:35:54Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > America is not a Christian nation. Christianity has no bearing on the state as a state. The state is not the whole of America, but obviously statists would fail to comprehend that. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/179 "2010-02-05T15:37:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Are the New England Patriots a black football team? You think there’s some sort of equivalency between a nation and a football team? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412/180 "2010-02-05T15:43:39Z")
Well, according to you, the majority is all-important, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-so-obtuse/527412.md?page=10)