Scalia commencement speech: Humans have 'been around for at least some 5,000 years'

[eridani]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/05/1390877/-Scalia-commencement-speech-Humans-have-been-around-for-at-least-some-5-000-years

Supreme Court Justice Nino Scalia just gave the commencement address for the graduating class of one of his 36 grandchildren, delivering some comic stylings by skewering weighty maxims like "to thine own self be true" and "never compromise your principles." (Hard-hitting stuff!) The best part, though, was when he threw a triceratops femur to the young Earth creationist set:

"Class of 2015, you should not leave Stone Ridge High School thinking that you face challenges that are at all, in any important sense, unprecedented," he said. "Humanity has been around for at least some 5,000 years or so, and I doubt that the basic challenges as confronted are any worse now, or alas even much different, from what they ever were."

At least 5,000 years—he's not wrong! And McDonald's posts those signs, you know, that say, "Over 5,000 served." Of course, he's also hedging by a factor of 40, since good ol' homo sap. emerged 200,000 years ago.

So why that specific number, 5,000? It just so happens to be right around what those who take a literal view of the creation story in Genesis believe the age of the earth to be. (Current year in the Hebrew calendar: a nicely palindromic 5775.) Surely a coincidence, yes? Well, Scalia's right: We're still facing the same old challenges as we always have—in this case, rank ignorance.

[LAGC]

1. That piece of work can't retire soon enough.

Even the official Catholic Church position has embraced evolution and science's testimony of how long ago we've been here, at least.

These backwards views have no place being trumpeted anywhere near the supreme laws of the land.

I look forward to his replacement within the next few years...

[Drahthaardogs]

2. Scalia is Catholic and the Church does not support "young earth" believes.

I think you are misreading what he meant. Recorded history, or "humanity" is indeed about 5,000 years old. The Stone age was 10,000 years ago. He was making the distinction between pre-historic vs. historic times.

[MohRokTah]

3. Scalia is Opus Dei, who knows what the fcuk those freaks believe? eom

[Telcontar]

8. Well, you could ask

http://www.opusdei.org/en-us/

[MohRokTah]

9. Yeah, like they're honest with the general public.

[Human101948]

4. That's a reasonable interpretationb but...

Scalia is smart enough to know that he was also saying something that could be interpreted by fundies as supporting their "Biblical" view.

[Telcontar]

10. Thats what pisses me off, the balancing act

He could easily have just said human civilization is over 5000 years old and be perfectly fine. Except now we ask, do pre-literate societies not count as civiliZed?

[Warren DeMontague]

6. I suspect he knew exactly what he was doing when he said that.

And "humanity" isn't recorded history. The species has been around - and producing artifacts and even forms of civilization, even- for far longer than that.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. I myself am at least 2 weeks old.

That's fucking upsetting, for a Supreme Court Justice who, while a right wing asshat, is certainly smart enough to know better.

[jberryhill]

7. To be fair...

...he doesn't know much about humans.

[gollygee]

11. I guess he said "at least"

Maybe he's just really bad at estimating? LOL

It's scary we have someone so ignorant in such a position of power.

[ladjf]

12. My guess is that he knows the science but is just hedging his position with the

"fundies". nt

[LeftinOH]

13. Lascaux cave paintings in France, at least 17,000 years old:

How does Scalia not know about the basics of human history? I've known this stuff since I was a kid. Is he really that stupid?