I am a theoretical physicist and currently Director of 
May 14, 2011
NJ governor won't say if he believes in evolution or creationism
Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, was asked at a press conference if he believes in evolution or creationism and he replied with his characteristic rudeness and arrogance "That's none of your business".
While I would not have said it the way he did, I do agree with him on the substance. There is no reason why elected officials should have to publicly state what they privately believe on any issue that a reporter might be interested in. We are only entitled to know what they do in their official capacities and the reasons they advance for doing it. Issues should be debated on the merits of the competing proposals and on publicly stated arguments in favor of the options and their underlying beliefs are not a necessary part of the discussion.
Having said all that, I was curious as to the implications Christie's reluctance to answer the question. If he truly believes it is none of the reporter's business, I agree with him. But what if he instead felt that giving an honest answer might cause him embarrassment or political difficulties? There are two options here. One is that he believes in evolution but felt that saying so would alienate a major bloc of his supporters. The other option is that he believes in creationism but felt that denying the fact of evolution would make him look like an anachronism in this modern scientific age.
The former represents crass political calculation, the latter demonstrates that to deny evolution is no longer something that is intellectually respectable. Both options are signs of science's progress.
Comments
I think this is an entirely valid question for a politician in today's climate. The teaching of creationism or unscientific criticism of evolution is a political issue for conservatives. It is constantly pushed politically by conservatives by electing pro-creationist school boards and such.
In my case it is a litmus test for my vote. The correct answer is "yes that is the scientific concensus". If politicians truly want to avoid the issue the answer would be "science curriculum should be decided based on the scientific consensus".