Intelligence is no guarantee that someone will be a good president. Even exceptionally intelligent individuals can still be lousy presidents. Intelligence tells us little about one's character. However, stupidity virtually assures that one will be a terrible president. And this seems especially true when one is talking about the sort of proud, willful stupidity that seems to characterize some in today's Republican Tea Party. Anti-intellectualism and denial of climate science are some obvious examples of the high cost of stupidity.

Here's what Alonzo Fyfe (Atheist Ethicist) suggests, and I think he's right:

We need to make intelligence a qualification for President - or at least make stupidity a disqualifier. And it is true that a basic knowledge of reality is how you test for basic intelligence. People who do not know simple scientific facts - the earth is round, it orbits the sun, it is made up of atoms, it is 4.5 billion years old, life emerged through a gradual process of evolution - are just too stupid to be President.

I am not suggesting that presidential candidates should have to take formal tests of intelligence. That seems unnecessary and fraught will all sorts of potential problems. I think Alonzo has it right when he suggests that one merely needs to listen to what presidential candidates say.

Prayer in school is not a defense against terrorist attacks, gay marriage does not cause earthquakes or effect the course of hurricanes, and it is not the case that we need not fear the long-term consequences of our action because Jesus will be here any day now.

The U.S. economy is still recovering from 8 years under a moron. We cannot afford another.

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