Most people are already aware of the controversy surrounding the new movie “Expelled” featuring the well-known monotoned celebrity, Ben Stein. The movie has been widely criticized as a superficial politicized attack on scientists and has been labeled a manufactured controversy or “manufactroversy.” Well, it seems that Mr. Stein has now gotten himself a distributor and we therefore cannot just sit by and ignore this pathetic attack on scientists at the behest of extremists. To follow the controversy and responses by those who are standing up against this nonsense, check out the news ladder here. Also, the National Center for Science Education has put together a fantastic website to address the movie including a fine YouTube video.
May 28th, 2008 at 5:56 am
I would say that any movie such as this has a point of view. It is not an academic study of the topic. On the other hand it does not make it trash. If you are going to trash this movie then you must trash movies by Michael Moore, I do not see that coming, do I?
May 28th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Hi Scott,
Thank you for writing. I think you miss the point and then make an excellent point. My point with this movie is that it is a dishonest presentation of Mr. Stein’s point of view and of evolution. While Mr. Stein is entitled to his point of view, he opens himself up to people pointing out his intellectual dishonesty and extremism when he makes a movie about it. Should we not point out that he misrepresents science? That comparing scientists to Nazi’s is extremism and, frankly very odd?
As for Michael Moore, I have not seen his latest movie, but if there are parts of it that dishonestly portray a particular group of people as Nazi’s or misrepresents science to promote a particular non-science agenda, then I would probably have slammed that too. The issue isn’t political or even ideological. Mr. Stein’s movie is dishonest to a fault.