Why the Earth's Age Does, Actually, Matter in Politics

When Marco Rubio deflected a question about the Earth's age recently, the Florida senator argued that such issues have nothing to do with politics—but he's wrong, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times. Let's not forget that Rubio himself once "provided powerful aid to creationists trying to water down science education," and has compared evolution in schools to indoctrination tactics used by Communists. With attitudes like those, how is the US going to remain competitive in biotechnology or find natural resources if modern science education is forced to share time with the teaching of creationism?

Rubio's "inability to acknowledge scientific evidence speaks of the anti-rational mind-set that has taken over his political party," Krugman writes, and that attitude can seep into more areas than just science. "So don’t shrug off Mr. Rubio’s awkward moment. His inability to deal with geological evidence was symptomatic of a much broader problem—one that may, in the end, set America on a path of inexorable decline." Click for his full column.