There's a question to my mind as to how much of the posturing on evolution, anthropogenic global warming, resource depletion, age of the earth, etc., is based on true belief and how much is tactical stupidity. I could go either way on that. Many people are highly self-delusional.
I would agree, if we were just talking self-identified phone surveys or something. But we're talking about people saying their children shouldn't learn about those things. I can't imagine purposefully making your children grow up thinking something is so wrong, you are an immoral person to consider it, unless they genuinely believed it as well.
So to call it tactical stupidity is messed up on a scale I'm not prepared to level at such a large number of my fellow citizens (as an American), or anyone really. I'd rather think someone willfully ignorant than that willfully mean.
Tactical stupidity is knowing the truth but being unable or unwilling to admit it. In an extreme case, you might call wilful ignorance (including depriving yourself of information) to be an extension of this.
Depriving others (particularly your own children) of factual information starts sliding into the "true belief" side, so far as I'm concerned.
It may be messed up, but it's also fundamental human nature. As Heinlein observed: man not a rational animal, he's a rationalizing animal.
True. Some of these politicians may be "playing dumb" for political reasons.
Though really that just makes it a question of if the politicians and their constituents are in need of a better education, or just their constituents.
Whichever is the case, I think an increased emphasis on science education is important.
