*Note: This is a reader-submitted opinion piece. Opinions and letters to the editor can be sent to news@clarksvillenow.com

When assessing the merits of any given political candidate, there are many factors that ought to be weighed. What are his stances on the issues important to you? From where does she derive her personal morality, and does she live up to the ethics she purports to have? One such principle that is often overlooked, but deserves examination is how does one come to know things that they believe to be true? In the field of Philosophical inquiry, this is known as epistemology.

Senator Mark Green’s publicly stated denial of Darwinian Evolution in favor of the so called “science of creationism” is epistemically problematic in two ways. First, the evidence supporting evolution is overwhelming and is supported by multiple scientific disciplines including geology, biochemistry, biology and physics. The opinion that evolution is a sound belief is held by 98% of Scientists associated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science according to the Pew Research Center.

Senator Green’s stated reason for his disbelief in evolution, that it “violates the 2nd law of thermodynamics” is also demonstrably false. Evolution in no way violates any known law of physics. Most troubling about his stance, is that his view is easily refuted and one of the most common misconceptions about Darwinian Evolution. His failure to even acknowledge the counter-claim, which is the view held by most main stream scientists, shows either a surprising ignorance of mainstream science for someone touting their credentials as a medical Doctor to garner political support, or a willful ignorance that illustrates a clouded judgement.

The Darwinian theory of evolution in no way is an indictment on Christianity. Senator Green, like the Catholic Church condemning Galileo, has put his personal theology before plain empirical truth. Although he undoubtedly has the credentials of a man of science, his refusal to let the evidence guide his theology seriously calls into question his ability to make evidence-based decisions in areas of governance, to the detriment of the secular and the believer alike.

Joel Diemoz
1102 Hilliard Lane
Clarksville TN 37042
(615)830-6660