In my experience from observing people where I live, I believe fear and religion are the biggest barriers to understanding and believing in evolution(at least in Ky USA.) Fear and religion are the two biggest causes of ignorance in regards to science among other things. I see this from living and working around some of the most closed minded people in the world.

I hear at least once a month from some fanatic, usually someone I work with, his or her theory of why evolution is wrong. None of these people have read The Origin of Species. They believe that the book is the work of satan. They believe that people like Richard Dawkins are working for satan. They also shoot squirrels through windows in their houses from the breakfast table(a coworker of mine actually said that he did this the other day after his young son spotted it while eating Captain Crunch cereal.) They haven't the slightest clue how evolution works, they just "know" it's wrong.

Last edited by True; 01/19/09 08:06 PM.