Where's the beef?

Here's a 9 minute trailer from the movie Expelled due for release in February 2008. Oh boy, I can hardly wait. Pay attention and you will notice part of this trailer was filmed at the Voter Issues Conference sponsored by the Family Research Council. If the FRC's involvement hasn't sufficiently raised the alarm, how about two of their more infamous spokesman, James Dobson and Tony Perkins?

The FRC is a Christian political organization that promotes values such as anti-homosexual rights, prayer in schools, abstinence only education, teaching creationism in science class instead of or along side evolution, ending women's reproductive rights, anti-birth control and even stopping stem cell research that could better the lives of millions of Americans. Hmmm. I wonder why the FRC is so interested in the movie Expelled and Intelligent Design?

This is a pretty long trailer, so I think you can get a fairly good idea of what is actually in the movie. From what I can see, it seems to follow the guidelines put forth by the Discovery Institute's leaked Wedge Strategy document. That is, to "teach the controversy," which is ironic because the only controversy I see is another creationist coming along trying to inject their deity into science class for the umpteenth time in our countries short history.

Ben Stein is the narrator. Stein portrays ID as a legitimate scientific theory equal to and in direct competition with Darwin's theory of natural selection. Never mind that evolution has withstood 150 years of scrutiny, testing and updates. Intelligent design is the belief that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not a naturalistic process such as natural selection. As you can see, right away we have a problem, unless that is, we are ready to redefine science to accommodate the selfish needs of Christian apologists?

I think it's important to understand the definition of science if ID is to be judged fairly.

From Wikipedia:

Science (from the Latin scientia, 'knowledge'), in the broadest sense, refers to any systematic knowledge or practice.[1] In a more restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on the scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research.[2][3] This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word.

Fields of science are commonly classified along two major lines:

Natural sciences, which study natural phenomena (including biological life), and
Social sciences, which study human behavior and societies.

Natural Science

In science, the term natural science refers to a rational approach to the study of the universe, which is understood as obeying rules or laws of natural origin. The term natural science is also used to distinguish those fields that use the scientific method to study nature from the social sciences, which use the scientific method to study human behavior and society; and from the formal sciences, such as mathematics and logic, which use a different methodology.

Maybe the actual movie makes more sense than the trailer lets on, but I doubt it. Stein just doesn't get it. He says "there are people out there who want to keep science in a little box where it can't possibly touch god." Well duh. Yes, I don't want to change the definition of science to include the supernatural. I don't see how that would be productive. We have science. And we also have another field called theology. I don't see the need to combine the two.

Stein even admits that he believes the universe, earth and all living things on our planet were created by "a loving god." Stein, like many creationists I've read or listened to, seems to intentionally confuse the theory of evolution with how life began. Darwin's book written in 1859 was called The Origin of Species, not the Origin of Life.

Stein also does his best to misconstrue and patronize scientific theories of how life began on this planet. He uses the phrase "mud animated by lightning" twice just in the movie trailer. I think it's a little more complicated than that, but nevertheless, evolution is not about how life began, therefore, the "controversy" is basically one big strawman argument.

It looks like a good chunk of the movie is designed to build sympathy for the religiously motivated ID propagandists. Stein makes arguments about how free speech is an American value, yet ID proponents are shouted down and the scientific community treats them unfairly. According to Stein "scientists are not even allowed to think thoughts that involve an intelligent creator." He accuses the media, the courts and federal education system of all being in on the persecution of ID'ers. Stein interviews many so-called ID "scientists" and they give accounts of how they were told to shut-up and many lost their jobs because of the evil 'Darwinists' whatever that is.

Stein refers to mainstream scientists repeatedly as "Darwinists." This looks very similar to tactics used by the far right lunatic fringe of the Republican party when they try to demonize words like liberal, Democrat or atheist. You have to say these words while sneering.

The interviews done for this movie are edited in a way that marginalizes mainstream scientists objections to ID. I didn't see anything in the trailer touting the exciting new field of science ID is supposed to represent. It was all criticism of mainstream science. They show a brief clip of Dawkins saying "As a scientist, I am pretty hostile to rival doctrines." That is obviously taken out of context. I would love to know what he says before and after that statement. Another clip is of a shadowy figure claiming that "scientists" that believe in ID are driven underground for fear of discrimination. Stein says "those who challenge the status quo seldom go unpunished" as if ID proponents are really truth seekers and not religious zealots trying to advance their agenda.

I think the creators of Expelled are trying to give ID an image of being rebellious. The whole 'expelled' theme is supposed to make you think of a naughty student. There is even a clip of Stein writing on the black board that he will not question authority. And the movie's theme song is George Thorogood's 1982 hit Bad to the Bone. You have to laugh at the warning Stein gives that those who dare to watch this movie risk losing friends or even their jobs. The last thing he asks is "will anyone be left to fight this battle?" Oh, please.

All in all, I was left thinking "where's the beef?" I kept waiting for Stein and the ID'ers to say this is our scientific theory and here is the massive evidence supporting this theory. Instead, all I heard was whining. A bunch of professional victims complaining at how unfair the world is. Boo-f'ing-hoo. If your so-called science is sound, no one will be able to deny it. Show me ID deserves to be treated equal to evolution with sound science, not bitching.