Why Creationists' Willful Ignorance?

Barney Frank had one of the best quotes during the run up to the vote on the recent health insurance reform bill. A person that could probably fit many of the criteria in the OP stood up and asked Barney Frank an inane and ignorant question. Frank's reply: "Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table." Priceless.

Tied closely to willful ignorance is the need to project. I don't think creationists do this on purpose. In fact, I think it is part and parcel of the thought process that results in willful ignorance.I think we have all seen the accusations that creationists level at the scientific establishment. They include a lack of academic freedom, a conspiracy to hide falsifying evidence, blackballing dissenting voices, a lack of skepticism with respect to conclusions, adherence to a religious dogma, and a need to engineer society (e.g. eugenics). In each case, creationists are not talking about evolutionists but about themselves. In order to hold on to the illusion that is creationism they need to believe that everyone else is just as deluded. By projecting their flaws onto real scientists they can convince themselves that they are on equal footing.This tendency to project also mixes well with sloppy post-modernist (PM) thinking. We see it all the time. Creationists will argue that they use the same evidence, but just interpret it differently as if all interpretations are equal (hence, PM). They truly believe that scientists are interpretting data so that it matches their assumed conclusions, just like they do. Therefore, their interpretations are on par with the conclusions that real scientists reach.I will agree that willful ignorance is a part of the creationist thought process. However, I think the foundation is a lack of self awareness. Willful ignorance, projection, and sloppy PM philosophies are symptoms of this underlying foundation.