Ben Stein Movie Opens Today

The new Ben Stein movie, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” opens today. It is only showing in Wehrenberg Theaters farther out from the city. (Movies.com link). Before today, it has only been seen by fundamentalist congregations, hand-picked audiences, and selected legislatures.

If you’ve read my earlier post and long comment thread about it, you know that I am not suggesting that you go and pay them for producing this piece of nominally documentary film.

In brief, the movie is about the theological Darwinist conspiracy to keep seekers of truth out of academia. There are plenty of clips of Nazi atrocities interspersed with quote-mined interviews with actual scientists. It apparently makes Michael Moore productions seem fair and balanced.

It has been shown to closed door presentations to legislatures as bills were being discussed to include or allow “alternate theories” to scientifically established ideas in science classes in several states, including Florida, Texas, and my own Missouri.

If ever there was a Dangerous Intersection between faith and society, this film is on that cusp.

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Dan Klarmann

A convoluted mind behind a curly face. A regular traveler, a science buff, and first generation American. Graying of hair, yet still verdant of mind. Lives in South St. Louis City. See his personal website for (too much) more.

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Avatar of Josh Rosenau
    Josh Rosenau

    You might want to check out ExpelledExposed.com for more background on this movie.

  2. Avatar of Dan Klarmann
    Dan Klarmann

    Some links related to the movie Expelled (most from my earlier post):

    Part 22 of the "Why do People Laugh at Creationists?" series:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=NiNGK3y5Ypg

    PZ Meyers expelled from a screening of the movie he is in:
    http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/expellhttp://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/a_late

    http://www.expelledexposed.com/

    http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/08-04-17.html

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expelled:_No_Intelli

    Articles about screenings for Lawmakers

    Florida

    Missouri

  3. Avatar of Dan Klarmann
    Dan Klarmann

    You can find positive reviews of the Ben Stein movie. The vast majority are negative. But positive reviews do appear online, on sites run by the Discovery Institute. They use several sites whose url's appear to be science sites, like EvolutionNews.org. But you can find the pedigree pretty quickly.

    If anyone sees a positive review not produced by members of the Institute of Creationism Research or its ID descendant, let me know.

  4. Avatar of patrick
    patrick

    just saw Expelled; the fact that Ben Stein isn't trying to win any popularity contests helps to validate his message… i gather that his goal is to promote free thought, especially more thinking about the worldviews that drive American academia

  5. Avatar of Dan Klarmann
    Dan Klarmann

    One confusion I see in many Expelled reviews is that between the principle of free speech, and that of reasoned discourse. Presumably academics in general would be happy to see Intelligent Design examined in philosophy courses, along with the Young Earth, the Flat Earth, 9/11 "Truth", and UFO-logy. But there is no science there.

    If any of these studies were to find actual verifiable evidence, then it would eventually be appropriate to move the discussion into science courses. But Expelled takes institutions to task for not promoting people hired as scientists, because they failed to do the jobs that they were hired for while promoting their philosophical ideas. Not because they espoused those ideas. They aren't presented in the movie, but the actual facts of the specific cases in the movie are easy to find online.

    Most reviews so far admire Stein for his creation of such a marketable level of public controversy, based on so little. Stein will do well for himself, but I'm afraid ill for the future of education in this country.

  6. Avatar of Dan Klarmann
    Dan Klarmann

    According to this almost favorable Canadian review, Expelled fought all legal challenges because it

    needed to remain as it is because it may have an impact on the American presidential election in November.

    As I've been saying, this year's "morals" election issue is Intelligent Design.

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