whomever wrote this summary did NOT get the memo...

[acroyear]

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) - Movie Details - Yahoo! Movies:

Though Ben Stein may be best known as the droning teacher in FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF or for hosting an eponymous game show, he displays his own intellectual prowess in this documentary. EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED finds Stein investigating the snubbing of scientists and teachers who teach the theory of intelligent design. Stein, a former presidential speech writer, goes toe to toe with Darwin's biggest fans, including THE GOD DELUSION author Richard Dawkins, in an effort to expose the widespread prejudice against those who believe in God's role in creation.

Last I checked, ID is supposed to be "science". We're not supposed to know who the designer is ('cause if we admitted we thought it was God, it would therefore become creationism, thus religion, thus kicked out of public schools in accordance with the Edwards case), right?

So even if it succeeds in getting public sympathy for "the cause", it may backfire to create a thousand Dovers, because every Judge will know up front and be forced to acknowledge that which Judge Jones discovered after six weeks of creationists lies and missteps.

Still, it'll save a lot of time this way, because with the film and its marketing as evidence, combined with the Dover decision (not binding precedent, but still influential and admissable), more courts can just throw the ID program out of their counties on summary judgements rather than full trials.

Comments

[i-kissandra.livejournal.com]

Did I read that correctly? Ben Stein is on the ID side? Whaaat?

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

Oh, where have YOU been? :)

Seriously, yes, the Ben Stein has taken his conservative yet intellectual(ly sounding) credentials and his Jewishness and decided to shill ID for money, up to and including propagating the totally bullshit idea that without "Darwinism" (whatever that is), Hitler and the Holocaust would never have happened. The film is just one packet of lies after another from the circumstances by which the scientists were interviewed, to the content about the supposedly "expelled" cdesign proponentsists, to the connection with Hitler that never existed (and would be irrelevant to the facts of the science even if it did), to the pre-release of the film and the reasons why some scientists including those interviewed in the film were kicked out of seeing and commenting this film whose entire premise is all about the idea that ID has been kicked out of academia and public discourse.

oh, and they stole CGI footage, too.

explains it all and far more...

The only thing we can't tell is if he really believes it because of his conservatism, or if he believes it because of that wonderful conservative value, "I'm being paid to believe it."

As such, he may actually be a very good actor...

[katrinb.livejournal.com]

"without "Darwinism" (whatever that is), Hitler and the Holocaust would never have happened."

Because, of course, the creationist Cossacks and Inquisitors and Crusaders and Almohads (etc., etc., etc.) were so very inefficient at murdering Jews. They really needed the infusion of fiery motivation and fierce passionate dogma provided by...a gentle rationalistic agnostic from a liberal abolitionist/feminist family, who never hurt a human soul in his life?

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

oh, and without Darwinism and its leads to eugenics and possible atheism, the Nazi's would have been completely able to avoid following Martin Luther's writings on the subject to the letter...

i'm with ya... :)

[eiredrake.livejournal.com]

As I understand it Stein doesn't even bother trying to prove his bullshit 'theory'. He just equates Darwin's evolutionary theories with Nazis, thus losing the argument in the first place and does all he can to make people who believe in evolution like a bunch of repressive door knobs. But he doesn't really address the fact that it's not the job of science to ask 'Why is there anything rather than nothing.' that's philosophy and religion's job. The job of science is to ask 'how' and use verifiable methods to figure it out. They start with a question and then find answers. Intelligent Design starts with the answer they want and then tries to find 'evidence' to fit their preconceived conclusions. There in is the downfall of this movement. It's not science. It's dogma.