We went yesterday to see Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, Ben Stein's self-described "satirical documentary" about the often bitter conflict between Intelligent Design ("ID") advocates and the academic/science establishment.
I was underwhelmed. The movie is more manipulative than persuasive or informative.
Expelled mimics the documentary style promulgated by porcine leftist Michael Moore. Given the inherent dishonesty of that approach, the result leaves its audience terribly underserved, particularly in its repeated, simplistic linking of evolutionary biology and Darwinism with Nazism.
An exhaustive account at Wikipedia points out many of the ways Expelled doesn't present anything like a complete picture of the various incidents where ID advocates were supposedly driven from their posts in academia solely for the offense of discussing ID. It also documents the use of selective, out-of-context quotations and other distortions.
Not only does Expelled fail to even really explain either evolutionary biology or ID, but it consciously buries the inarguable fact that ID is almost wholly a repackaging of religiously-driven Creationism. This is disengenuous at best.
I expected more from Ben Stein.
Additional note: our experience in the theater was somewhat painful due to the very poor sound mix of the film, wherein speakers were frequently muffled by a pounding soundtrack.
Finally, a few simple thoughts about Intelligent Design in general:
It's certainly true that evolutionary biology cannot explain the origin of life in the universe, and theories about Earth's interactions between primordial mud and lightning or the impact of comets aren't very complete to say the least.
However, to then make a leap to a supernatural explanation is nothing more than a deus ex machina solution that just isn't verifiable, scientifically or otherwise. The argument is inherently pointless.
To introduce ID into real science is not sustainable, and to introduce it into science education in K-12 schools is unhelpful in the extreme.
None of which means that God didn't create life as an "intelligent designer." For "Darwinists" to insist otherwise often drifts into anti-religious bigotry.
Maybe Ben Stein's movie will at least spark additional discussion, which would be a good thing, but it's more likely to generate more heat that light. And here's a corroborating report.
Peggy Noonan has more thoughtful insights today into the Obama-Clinton danse macabre. But she also slips in this sly observation about the job requirements for "first spouses":
All first ladies, first spouses, should be like Denis Thatcher, slightly dazed, mildly inscrutable, utterly supportive. It is the only job in the world where "seems slightly drugged" is a positive job qualification. The key is to know you are not the drama, you do not draw the lightning, you are a background player who yet has deep, unseen power. (The "deep, unseen power" part keeps you serene and energized. The constant possibility of quiet revenge keeps one peppy.)
Zing.