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comment by mk
mk  ·  4692 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Why do so many have trouble believing in evolution?
One difference between he US and Europe though is America has played at the "everybody is equal" game for a little while longer. I think we sometimes commonly make the mistake in assuming that "equal before the law" means the same as "everybody's equal". And that leads a person to assume that their uninformed but deeply felt belief is equal to an evolutionary biologists expert opinion.

I agree. However, I don't know if I'd say it's 'everybody is equal', so much as 'everybody is valid'. I make the distinction because I think it is the sacredness of the individual in US culture that has elevated beliefs to the realm of fact. I don't think it's so much equality, but the right for the individual to rail against anything in his/her pursuit of self-realization and/or success that gives this license.