Recently, Senator Marco Rubio told an interviewer from GQ that he wasn’t qualified to say how old the Earth was:
GQ: “How old do you think the Earth is?”
Marco Rubio: “I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that. At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.”
This is so absurd on so many levels, I need to parse the quotation out bit by bit—partly to stretch out this blog post, of course, but partly to delve more deeply into the mind that is Marco Rubio.
“I’m not a scientist, man.”
Obviously. But GQ wasn’t asking you to demonstrate the Earth’s age using science. They were asking you how old the Earth is, which admittedly is code for: “Do you believe in the most basic science?” And apparently, you do not.
“I can tell you what recorded history says,”
What does recorded history have to do with the age of the Earth?
“I can tell you what the Bible says,”
But unfortunately the Bible doesn’t actually say how old the Earth is.
“but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians…”
Wait…what?! Theologians? We’re talking about the age of the Earth. If geologists can’t answer this question, no one can. Why? Because geology is the study of the Earth.
“…and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States.”
So?
“I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow.”
True, but the interviewer is really asking if you have any knowledge about science and the scientific method. If you don’t believe the arguments for a 4 billion-year-old Earth, if you distrust that much the collective human body of knowledge, then you may not listen to economists when they tell you that printing a quadrillion dollar bills and passing them out to everyone would be a bad idea.
“I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that.”
Do you have to be a historian to answer the question, when did the Crimean War start? Do you have to be a biologist to answer the question, what does RNA stand for? Do you have to be a mathematician to say that pi is irrational? Are you really claiming, Mr. Rubio, that you have to be an expert to answer the most basic, settled questions that humans have successfully answered? Are you really saying that you’re not qualified to look up an answer on Wikipedia?
“At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created…”
He’s right, check out these 90 different theories from religions around the world…
“and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all.”
Including, no doubt, the story of the water beetle Dâyuni‘sï that made the Earth from mud, and the story of how Buga set fire to the water…oh, and don’t forget how Mbombo vomited the moon and the sun! Make sure elementary school curricula cover them all!
“I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says.”
I’m not sure what his point is here. Is there a movement to ban what parents can and cannot teach their children?
“Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.”
Yes, a mystery, like how the tides work or how magnets work. I guess the real mystery is why anyone takes Marco Rubio seriously.
(Photo credit: NASA)
Many Worlds Theory 