Santorum thinks role of science should be to say 'we'll never know'

Would-be presidential candidate Rick Santorum just can't seem to get his head around the scientific method, which involves looking for explanations of things you don't yet understand and developing possible answers in the form of testable hypotheses.

Instead, he apprears to believe that anything for which science doesn't currently have an explanation should be treated as proof of the existence of a Divine Creator and taught to as such to schoolchildren.

Santorum told the editorial board of the Nashua Telegraph this week, "There are many on the left and in the scientific community, so to speak, who are afraid of that discussion because oh my goodness you might mention the word, God-forbid, 'God' in the classroom, or 'Creator,' or that there may be some things that are inexplainable by nature where there may be, where it’s better explained by a Creator. It’s very interesting that you have a situation that science will only allow things in the classroom that are consistent with a non-Creator idea of how we got here, as if somehow or another that’s scientific. Well maybe the science points to the fact that maybe science doesn’t explain all these things."

Daily Kos diarist Hunter was scathing in describing Santorum's remarks, writing, "The man has no gravitas and even less charisma, but comports himself as if he did. The effect is of a whiny adolescent know-it-all who is eternally peeved that society isn't recognizing his obvious superiority. Add to this a devout narrow-mindedness, a stubborn refusal to even acknowledge others might have opinions or experiences different from his own, and you get the perfect Conservative Religious Whiny Emo Teenage Mutant Candidate."

"Science disallows all unproven speculations about scientific facts," Hunter explained sarcastically, "hence the 'science' part. It is not isolated to Santorum's Christianity: We also do not allow textbooks to teach that electrons are in fact tiny little go-carts being raced around by aliens. We do not teach that pandas have magical superpowers that only manifest themselves when nobody is looking, or that one of the organs you will find in a dissected frog is a tiny Taco Bell."

This video is from Right Wing Watch, uploaded to YouTube on November 29, 2011.