Dan Broadbent
Esteemed philosopher, lauded theologian, and right-wing extremist – Rush Limbaugh – is no stranger to making outrageous statements and bold, factless claims. So it’s no surprise that he’s in the news today for, again saying something completely and utterly ridiculous on the heels of Stephen Hawking’s death.
While talking about The Big Bang during his show, Rush asked the question “Since nobody could see it, how the hell do they know it really happened?”
We can call this philosophical pillar of proof the “Limbaugh Law” or perhaps more casually, “The Peekaboo Principle.” If you don’t directly observe something occurring, how can you claim it exists?
If this is really the route you want to go with your questioning, I’m totally okay with that. But if so, let’s be consistent and apply this line of thought to all beliefs, hypotheses, and theories. Okay?
If we’re going to play this game, a game that Rush Limbaugh himself started, then it’s deliciously ironic that he unintentionally checkmates the entirety of “evidence” supporting Christianity in just one simple question. Think about it – all we have to go on is the writings of people who weren’t actually there to see the things Jesus is alleged to have done, since the Bible was actually written 50-300 years after Jesus died – if he even existed in the first place, and there’s significant questions regarding the authenticity of the various books of the Bible.
Here’s what Rush had to say:
If there are questions we can ask to which we will never have the answers, then that gives me confidence that there is more than just life on Earth. What is the point of creating beings who can ponder such places if they don’t exist?
What? How does this prove a god damn thing? The only thing this proves is that there are things that you don’t know. A gap in our knowledge or understanding of a phenomenon is decidedly not evidence of any kind of deity’s existence.
Certainly the Big Bang. Again, I’ll admit I’m just a college dropout radio guy, okay? I’m not a professional physicist. I’m not a professional scientist. I do not own a lab coat, white or light blue.
Yes, Rush. We know. WE KNOW.
So you should probably stop right there. This is the equivalent of saying “I’m not racist, but…” Just no. Do not continue, do not pass ‘go,’ do not collect $200, because whatever is going to follow next is going to be not intelligent.
So they tell me that the Big Bang is where everything began. Hawking says it’s the Big Bang and we’re still expanding…
Yes. This has been observed to be true.
Rush then goes on to talk about his “common sense questions.”
Okay, the Big Bang. There was this whatever-size — call it a golf ball-, tennis ball-size of matter that banged and we’re all here. Where was it? Where was this glob of matter that banged that created the universe? Where was it?
Did I taunt Rush at the beginning of this post about not being a philosopher? I stand corrected. This is an extremely deep question. Where was the infinitely small point of all matter that comprises the universe? Where is the Milky Way now? Where is the sun? Where is Earth? Where are you? Where is where?
Maybe I was wrong with my initial hypothesis about this clip? Maybe Rush is going to go the scientifically literate route here.
No, no, no. You can’t say, “It was in the void.” You can’t say it was in another dimension, parallel or otherwise, astral plane. It had to be somewhere. Where was it? What was around it? Could you see it? Could somebody see this golf-ball-size bit of energy if they were not part of that?
Well, we don’t really know. Could this universe be inside the black hole of another universe? Maybe. Could there be other universes that we’re bumping into? Theoretically, it’s possible. Is our entire universe in a tiny glass jar placed neatly on a shelf in an alien child’s room as a science project that he got a C- on? Could be.
Could you be somewhere and see it?
By definition, no.
Could you be somewhere and witness this Big Bang instead of being a part of it?
Us? No. If the multiverse hypothesis is true, then you could – just not our universe’s big bang.
If so, where were you? Well, since nobody could see it, how the hell do they know it really happened? But I’m not supposed to ask that.
Well, there you have it. If we’re going to subscribe to the Limbaugh Law, then there was no Big Bang, Jesus never existed, Christianity is just one giant lie (it is), and I’ve successfully weaseled my way out of paying my friend Mike that $50 I owe him from a year ago.
[You may also enjoy reading: Neil deGrasse Tyson destroys the Flat Earth conspiracy in 10 seconds]
You can listen to the clip (via Media Matters) below:
