Ron Paul on the Theory of Evolution: “I Don’t Accept It.”

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Another example why Congressman Ron Paul, a former obstetrician who is known as Dr. No for his penchant to vote against nearly every government spending bill to cross his desk, is a curious breed of libertarian. News of his take on evolution comes via the libertarian magazine Reason, which has proclaimed: “Say it ain’t so Dr. No!”

In reality, Paul is just being himself, and Reason’s surprise has more to do with the gulf between self-proclaimed Cosmopolitan Libertarians (typically secular Reason subscribers) and the more religious Paleolibertarians (acolytes of Lew Rockwell, Paul’s former chief of staff). To make sense of this all, check out our recent feature on the Paul campaign, and our breakdown of libertarian factions.

Ultimately, it makes little difference whether Paul is a Creationist. As a libertarian he’s opposed to any government funding for scientific or religious endeavors. And that partly explains why the Ron Paul coalition is so elastic.

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