Should Ben Stein be Expelled?
So Ben Stein appears to have moved on from hosting game shows to hosting documentaries. Shepard pointed out his latest project to me this morning, a movie titled Expelled, due in theaters February 2008. And the topic is, of all things, Intelligent Design. I don’t think Ferris Bueller or Win Ben Stein’s Money quite prepared me for this.
Up until now I haven’t really paid much attention to the “ID versus Evolution” debates, mostly because they seemed to be about things that struck me as a little silly. Like whether schools in Georgia should or shouldn’t include an evolution disclaimer sticker in the front of their science textbooks. But watching the trailers for Expelled, it looks like they’re approaching the topic from the angle of how certain ideas are received these days in the scientific community and our culture as a whole, rather than just in the public school classroom, which sounds more interesting. Not interesting enough that I would see it in the theater (with three young kids at home, that would almost take an act of congress anyway), but enough that I would likely rent it when it comes out on DVD.
Probably of equal interest to me at this point though is the question of whether this is a one-shot documentary effort from Mr. Stein, or the first of many to come? Could he possibly rise to become the right wing equivalent of a Michael Moore? Hmmmmm. You probably have to be born with a special talent for irritating and offending people to acheive such a status, but let’s not rule it out yet.
12 Comments So Far
2. Spencer wrote:
hmm… so what’s the point of the movie… from what I understand they are just talking about how people interpret information. Is there some sort of moral thing or are they trying to make a point or what?
3. Lisa Weber wrote:
I must say, I’ve never really been entertained by BS…heh heh…not really a fan of the Ferris movie, so, honestly, I likely won’t bother with this particular one. Thank you for posting, though!! 
4. Clint wrote:
@ Spencer: It looks to me like the message of the movie is that the scientific community is unfairly supressing discussion about intelligent design, and that it should be considered a freedom of speech issue. Or something like that.
5. prnsis_anita wrote:
Will Ben finally explain how to REALLY get rid of red, dry eyes in the movie? Just jokin with ya Lint. I will vote for whatever Bill Congess comes up with if gives you and Lisa a night out.
6. BGbootha wrote:
Looks really interesting. I would love to see any documentary that deals with whats going on inside school classrooms now a days.
7. AutDancer wrote:
Well, Mr. Stein might become the right wing version of Mr. Moore. That would not be bad. I like Mr. Moore. He might even be better than Mr. Gore. In Mr. Gore’s movie he has a few factual errors regarding global warming (The Brits discussed an outright ban on the film, or several disclaimers before it is shown in an eviornment with children). So now that I have said Moore and Gore in the same comment, I will stop typing so that I can see myself read. I hope all is well with you and yours. I agree with Anita, let us get a congressional resolution going to send your family on a night out, or just you and the wifey alone.
8. onein6billion wrote:
They offer to “bribe” schools to bring their kids:
http://www.getexpelled.com/schools.php
But hurry to register - there’s a limited amount of bribe money. Last come - not served.
9. Chris wrote:
This movie looks to be a piece of drivel, honestly. It appears to claim that the “Neo-Darwinist” community is suppressing proponents of ID, as well as that the evidential basis for natural selection is eroding. Well, the evidential basis for natural selection is as strong as ever, and ID (which is not science) is not being suppressed, it’s being refuted. So this movie is just a propaganda machine, nothing more.
By all means, go see it, but make sure you take its claims with a grain of salt until you explore the whole story.
10. kingedward wrote:
so…. I’m a bit behind, sure, but better late than never, right? I rather like your “Always late…” sig, Clint. ;c)
Anyway, I’m curious- is this out yet? If you do get this, maybe we can arrange some sort of group watch of it?
Eddy ~~~
11. Joan Kwasiborski wrote:
I don’t really know, nor would I likely understand, how anyone could logically or scientifically, refute intelligent design.
Wouldn’t it be even more difficult a task, to prove that Santa Claus does not exist? I mean, how can anyone actually do that?
There are a great many scientists, biologists, those in such specialty fields, who believe that an intelligent mind did design the universe. The probability of so many things simply coming about without an itelligent design, or an intelligent designer, is simple too great to be, well, a probability! It’s fairly easy for me to believe that things that appear to have a design to them, have a designer behind them, and pretty much impossible for me to believe that they don’t.
12. onein6billion wrote:
“how anyone could logically or scientifically, refute intelligent design.”
Quite true. “Intelligent design” does not really mean anything and it can never be “science”.
“The probability…”
And how would you “compute” such a “probability”?
It would seem that your “argument” is “personal incredibility”. This is not scientific.
“pretty much impossible for me to believe that they don’t”
I would have to assume that you know virtually nothing about science. Was that snowflake designed? Why? Why not?
1. Jason wrote:
I will look forward to seeing it. Should be interesting.