Expelled & Exemplary

Yesterday, we hit the multiplex for the screening of Expelled, Ben Stein's expose of the bias against anyone daring to question the Darwinian explanation for the origins of life. Regardless of whether you are an unabashed evangelist or staunch critic of evolution, I recommend you give Expelled a fair hearing.

Let me be clear about what the movie is, and what it is not. This is not an evaluation of the scientific evidence that supports or questions the Darwinian thesis; Mr. Stein is not debating the relative merits of evolution or intelligent design. He is identifying a very clear and present danger to free speech - The climate in the halls of the scientific community is hostile, militantly so, to anyone who dares to question the prevailing consensus, ie, all life began from a single living cell which has produced the diversity of life we see today through the process of natural selection. Here is an extended trailer for the movie that gives a good overview of what to expect.

I find it fascinating to talk about the coming "great delusion" (see yesterday's post) and then see a clear, contemporary manifestation of the thing. The bias Ben Stein is exposing in one in which "the evidence which shall not be named" is refused a place at the table. A rigorous and robust examination of the data for and against competing theories of life's origins is disallowed. Unless you can salute the party line, you had best keep your mouth shut. Raise a question, lose your job! Does anyone, evolutionist or otherwise, think this is a good way to do science? Here's one more clip worth watching - it's an interview of Ben Stein by Glenn Beck from last year.

Comments

[ms]

The last interview with Richard Dawkins was worth the price of the ticket! I had to study his twisted tome, "The Selfish Gene," in college; it was powerful in that it helped to turn me back to my Creator.
The Emporer not only has no clothes - the Emporer is diseased.

[Jeff]

I mentioned this in that militant message board I think I've mentioned before. If you want to take a look, here's the link:

http://vt.klicart.com/showthread.php?t=12192
(be prepared for an offense of the senses. I'm MemBirdman there)

It's amazing to me seeing how people will rationalize when they start from the assumption that there is no God. The good part out of all this is that I made a deal with someone to read "The God Delusion" by Dawkins if the read "The Case for Christ." A good trade, I'd say.

[Benjamin Franklin]

You said - "The climate in the halls of the scientific community is hostile, militantly so, to anyone who dares to question the prevailing consensus"

If that is the case, why do the scholars at Reasons to Believe have this to say about Expelled?

"In Reasons To Believe's interaction with professional scientists, scientific institutions, universities, and publishers of scientific journals we have encountered no significant evidence of censorship, blackballing, or disrespect. As we have persisted in publicly presenting our testable creation model in the context of the scientific method, we have witnessed an increasing openness on the part of unbelieving scientists to offer their honest and respectful critique.

Our main concern about EXPELLED is that it paints a distorted picture. It certainly doesn't match our experience."

Could it be that Expelled is promoting a manufactured argument, not reality?

[Jim Fleming]

Benjamin:
Thanks for the appeal for balance. It is true that Expelled is based on anecdotal evidence. Mr. Stein has identified a number of instances where censure has followed a critique of evolution. Reasons to Believe (RTB) cites positive experiences that do not match those presented by Stein, as your quote notes. (By the way, the web page from which you quoted also includes this statement: "In numerous instances, individuals and/or institutions within the scientific community have treated Christians unfairly.") So does the fact that some, like RTB, have a positive experience negate the fact that others have not? My personal conversations with members of the scientific community corroborate what Mr. Stein is saying - I don't think that he is manufacturing a controversy where there is none.

I am grateful for RTB and its attempts to establish rapport between proponents.

By the way - I wonder how to square the quote you cite with the fact that one of the interviewees in Expelled is Guillermo Gonzalez, Ph.D., Iowa State University. His case is presented in the movie as an example of censure and yet he is cited as an RTB "Science Scholar" who, I assume, would affirm "we have encountered no significant evidence of censorship, blackballing, or disrespect." A disconnect?