Expelled–A review
Last night I attended Expelled with a couple of guys from our church. We had a great time eating at Moes Grill and then going to the movie.
The premise of the movie is that scientists who believe in Intelligent Design are losing jobs & being denied tenure. Ben Stein was witty, funny, and brilliant in the movie. He interviewed both sides so those who argue it was slanted have their own agenda. It is obvious from this movie that those in charge of tenure in universities & the scientific community really don’t want freedom of expression when it comes to the origin of humans.
The best case for ID came from those trying to destroy it. Richard Dawkins was no match for Stein’s questions. The sad thing about this movie is that it was true. I highly recommend it & give it 4.9 out of 5 hockey sticks.
What do you think? anyone, anyone?
Kevin,
I’m looking forward to seeing Expelled. Ben Stein is a great satirical actor (best dead-pan delivery I’ve ever seen… with the possible exception of Steven Wright), and a brilliant political and religious apologist, thanks in part, no doubt, to his experience as a trial lawyer and as a political speech writer for Nixon. He’s also a walking encyclopedia as anyone who has ever seen Win Ben Stein’s Money can attest.
So when Ben Stein chooses to use Richard Sternberg, the researcher at the Smithsonian Institution, to support the claim that scientists who believe in Intelligent Design are losing jobs & being denied tenure, I have to wonder why. Sternberg was never a permanent employee of the Smithsonian; he was hired for a limited term as a temporary research associate. To boot, he was in fact offered a position as a research collaborator when his research term ended. So why use Sternberg as the example?
Personally, I don’t doubt that this sort of thing actually happens. After all, some people (including some people who happen to be scientists) are prejudice and allow their personal prejudices to guide their professional decisions. So if this sort of thing really does happen, then why not use a bona fide example to make the case? Why base the claim on a case, like Sternberg’s case at the Smithsonian, where there Sternberg didn’t lose his tenure or wasn’t denied a job?
One reason might be that, even if it happens, it doesn’t happen very often. When I see the movie, I’ll be looking for Stein to cite some statistics to show that this is common place (if it is common place, I feel that I can trust Stein to point it out).
Because of Ben Stein’s background as a trial attorney, I can’t imagine that he didn’t understand the facts surrounding Sternberg’s case. It could have just been a mistake but that doesn’t seem plausible given Stein’s tallent for encyclopedic knowing of trivia. I think it more likely that Stein was acting in his capacity as master apologist when he selected Sternberg to make his case. I think he correctly surmised that the facts were less important to his case than the perception he could create by indicting a well known and well established scientific institution like the Smithsonian. He allows the audience to conclude that Sternberg was fired because of prejudice against ID, by carefully presenting only the precise subset of facts that would lead a reasonable person to arrive at that conclusion.
As an atheist, I don’t believe in a Devil any more than I believe in a God. But many who do believe in a Devil, and believe the he deceives by telling half-truths, may see an analogy.
(for those unfamiliar with the belief that the Devil deceives by telling half-truths, here’s an outline of the belief: http://www.talkjesus.com/get-saved-now/17606-deception.html)
D’oh! Sorry for the post all in bold-italic - I messed up…
Oh - wait! Just checked my bold and italic tags. It wasn’t my post after all. Sorry I apologized!
From the time that someone figured out that the sun was not a chariot driven across the sky by Helios, science has been in the business of replacing supernatural explanations with natural ones. Religion has occasionally slowed the process, but it has never stopped it. More importantly, it has never made the process work in the other direction. Nevertheless, the Intelligent Design folks think that they can get science to pull off this unprecedented feat. In a way, their confidence in science’s explanatory power is far greater than that of the most committed naturalist. While I admire their chutzpah, I doubt that they will be successful.
Damon Runyan wisely observed “The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” I don’t think that the antipathy towards Intelligent Design has anything to do with suppressing free speech. I think the scientific community reasonably views ID as a quixotic pursuit whose probability of success lies somewhere south of perpetual motion and transforming lead into gold. I would not expect research universities or peer reviewed journals to support tilting at windmills.
What I have found most fascinating is the credulity of evangelical Christians when it comes to the contents of Expelled.* I will admit that I am favorably inclined towards liberal filmmakers like Michael Moore, but I realize that he is prone to hyperbole and I certainly would never cite one of his films as proof of any fact in a discussion with a conservative. I would realize that I would need to verify his claims with some reasonably independent source because I fully appreciate that people who share my views are fully capable of shoveling manure. On the other hand, before the film even opened I was being challenged by evangelical Christians to watch the trailer for Expelled as if no reasonable person could fail to be convinced by that alone.
Vinny’s last blog post..My Thoughts on “Expelled”
A3,
Richard Sternberg was not the only one that was Expelled. He interviewed a prof from Iowa State U, George Mason and Baylor (a Baptist University). Plus they showed a several profs that did not want to be identified.
Richard Dawkins actually admitted that there could be ID, but aliens would have brought it here. One prof said that we came from Crystals. No one would answer Stein as to where we came from.
Vinny,
This movie was well done. It wasn’t a TBN movie.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Expelled–A review
My pastor endorsed “EXPELLED” from the pulpit of The Moody Church. I’m just not a “movie-goer.” Can’t remember the last time I was in a theatre…
Phil Hoover’s last blog post..Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives
Kevin,
Check the spam queue. I left a comment on this early this morning that contained a couple external links, so maybe it got flagged.
Jonathan
[Edited to try to put Jonathan’s comment in via email]
I haven’t seen Expelled yet, but plan to eventually. [Like Vinny has since said] I think of Expelled like a Michael Moore film. You’ll enjoy the film if you share Moore’s point of view (which I often do), but you know you can’t count on him not to play fast and loose with the facts to make his point.
I was surprised by your comment:
Moore “interviews both sides” too, but that doesn’t certainly doesn’t prove a lack of slant. Yes critics have agendas (as does Stein), but the merits of the movie’s claims and themes (and those of its critics) should be examined closely, regardless of anyone’s agenda.
For example, take this criticism from Scientific American: link
I think that criticism is right on…a clear example of quote-mining to make Darwin say the opposite of what he was actually saying in the context, and whether or not Darwinism motivated Nazis has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the scientific principles are valid.
Here’s a review by a religion professor at Pepperdine that I also found to be informative: link
In the end, I think I’m uncomfortable with what appears to be the beginnings of another culture war, us vs them, where there is great danger that the beauty and attractiveness of the gospel is diminished in the public eye by folks conscientiously but perhaps unwisely battling for that which they believe but which perhaps isn’t central to the gospel message.
Jonathan,
I’m sorry. I can’t find it.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Expelled–A review
Well, as best as I can remember, I wrote something like…
I haven’t seen Expelled yet, but plan to eventually. [Like Vinny has since said] I think of Expelled like a Michael Moore film. You’ll enjoy the film if you share Moore’s point of view (which I often do), but you know you can’t count on him not to play fast and loose with the facts to make his point.
I was surprised by your comment:
Moore “interviews both sides” too, but that doesn’t certainly doesn’t prove a lack of slant. Yes critics have agendas (as does Stein), but the merits of the movie’s claims and themes (and those of its critics) should be examined closely, regardless of anyone’s agenda.
For example, take this criticism from Scientific American: link
I think that criticism is right on…a clear example of quote-mining to make Darwin say the opposite of what he was actually saying in the context, and whether or not Darwinism motivated Nazis has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the scientific principles are valid.
Here’s a review by a religion professor at Pepperdine that I also found to be informative: link
In the end, I think I’m uncomfortable with what appears to be the beginnings of another culture war, us vs them, where there is great danger that the beauty and attractiveness of the gospel is diminished in the public eye by folks conscientiously but perhaps unwisely battling for that which they believe but which perhaps isn’t central to the gospel message.
Kevin,
I was able to meet the professor from Iowa State, Guillermo Gonzales, while he and I were at the University of Washington in Seattle back in the Spring of 2001. He came to a discussion forum and shared some of his views. He was already concerned about his future employment.
He is an old earth, theistic evolutionist if I remember correctly. But he was just about to publish a major article on Galactic Hospitable Zones–I have a copy of the article from Scientific American. He was afraid then, that if his ID views became public, he would not be published. So he waited, got published and then “came out”; one of his works being the film, “The Privileged Planet”. Since then, he has been denied access to equipment needed to do his research, less able to publish, denied grants (the source of college’s money) all b/c of his views.
Iowa State, in business sense, probably made a good decision–b/c he wasn’t able to do new research nor bring in the cash. That doesn’t make the overall system acceptable of ostracizing b/c of an unpopular view.
ID is great at pointing out the weaknesses of Darwinism/Materialism, but is not very good at proposing measurable ways of determining the alternative (not that I think there are good methods). ID is good at making observations of complexity and saying that current mechanisms are unable to account for them, but their proposals are not satisfying for scientists who as an assumption believe that natural mechanisms are the only option.
And I’m a believer in creation. I just recognize that the system will always fight against the “relying on” a supernatural influence on the system.
I wish it weren’t so–I pray the eyes of the blind will be opened to the creative Hand of God. But many are lost–and as you say, expect them to act like the lost.
Pursuing Him,
Kelly
Kelly Reed’s last blog post..Sermon– Offensive Draft Pick by Jesus– Mark 2:13-17
Jonathan,
I don’t think it is an us vs. them. Stein just argues for academic freedom. He is a Jew so this isn’t an evangelical argument.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Expelled–A review
Kevin,
Check out this site regarding the others who “lost their jobs:”
http://www.expelledexposed.com/index.php/the-truth
It seems none of the claims of threat or prejudice against the people you mentioned are well founded.
Do you feel that Expelled paints a true picture of wide-spread discrimination against people who believe ID? In other words, do you feel that a reasonable person that looked at the available evidence would draw the same conclusions that Expelled draws?
Just out of curiosity: what do you think Dawkins believes about evolution, ID, and the existence of aliens? The reason I’m curious is because I think that if you’ve heard Dawkins speak on some of these subjects outside of Expelled, then that should be enough to makes Expelled’s portrayal of him suspect in your eyes, regardless of whether you accept or reject Dawkins’ views.
Regarding my earlier point about the reliability of Expelled - even if Dawkins believed in some bizarre story of how aliens genetically engineered humans out of magical fairy dust, that is certainly not serve as any sort defense of Expelled’s less-than-honest claims regarding rampant discrimination against workers based on their belief in ID, does it?
A3,
Of course those who disagree are going to twist what happened. I’m sure things that happened to me at other places will sound different coming from me than those on the other side. Don’t dismiss their claims just because of a bias against their views.
Dawkins didn’t sound very intelligent next to Stein. Stein didn’t argue with him either. He let him hang himself. You have to see the movie to understand what I’m talking about. It wasn’t clipped together either. He got Dawkins to go from 99% sure that there wasn’t a God to 49%.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Expelled–A review
In theory, Intelligent Design makes no claims about the identity of the designer. That’s supposedly why it passes constitutional muster as a scientific theory that can be taught in public schools, unlike creationism. If ID supporters are really concerned about free inquiry in the sciences, why are they so ready to scoff at the idea of aliens being the designers which is plainly an allowable possibility under ID?
Vinny’s last blog post..My Thoughts on “Expelled”
Vinny,
It takes more faith to believe that we just happened then to believe something created us.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..2-Person Field Trip?
Kevin,
Are you saying the responses on the link I posted are wrong because they don’t agree with what you believed before reading them, or did they say something in particular that struck you as not true or twisted in some way?
I’m looking forward to it!
On the other hand, like I said before, that’s certainly does not serve as any sort defense of Expelled’s less-than-honest claims regarding rampant discrimination against workers based on their belief in ID, does it?
A3,
I’m saying that this is a he/she said he/she said. Maybe the truth is in the middle. But it is obvious that if you are a believer or ID or Creationism most of the scientific community treats them like idiots.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..2-Person Field Trip?
Kevin,
Agreed! I couldn’t possibly believe that we “just happened.”
A3,
No one in the movie gave a reasonable answer to how it happened. I heard aliens and crystals. There has to be some designer.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..2-Person Field Trip?
Kevin,
If there were a reasonable explanation that showed how we “happened” though evolution, do expect that it would have been presented in the movie?
I’m also wondering if your conclusion that “their must be a designer” based on the comments about “aliens and crystals” in the movie?
A3,
Stein never said he wanted evolution thrown out of schools. He wants academic freedom which there isn’t if you believe in ID.
Kevin,
I’m lost. Is this a continuation of our discussion?
The film juxtaposes images of the Berlin Wall as a Metaphor of what is happening in the Scientific community. There are also segues into to Concentration Camps, Insane Asylums (where Euthansia were performed) and Eugenics == the inevitable conclusion to a Worldview that uses darwinian evolution as a foundational linchpin?
There was one telling, honest interview with a prof of Biology History that talked about the implications of fully believe in Darwinian Evolution: there is no meaning in life, we live, we die, there is nothing…guy had brain tumor and he fully believed in evolution….did not seem at peace - oh well could have been editing.
Also a common theme - firm belief in evolution led to Atheism …
Kevin-
I saw the movie yesterday and reviewed it as well. Unfortunately for Dawkins, he isn’t quite as smart as he thinks he is.
Marty Duren’s last blog post..Expelled, Movie Review
Marty,
Great review.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..‘Expelled’ Correct on Darwin, Hitler Link, Says Christian Group
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