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Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (view source)
Revision as of 17:50, December 13, 2009
, 17:50, December 13, 2009Some corrections on the film
The film's premise, which it goes on to prove with unassailable logic, is that scientists have been met with harsh opposition and/or received punishments from schools, universities and the scientific community merely for daring to ask inconvenient questions.<ref>[http://www.expelledthemovie.com/news.php Expelled the movie website]</ref>
The film's premise, which it goes on to prove with unassailable logic, is that scientists have been met with harsh opposition and/or received punishments from schools, universities and the scientific community merely for daring to ask inconvenient questions.<ref>[http://www.expelledthemovie.com/news.php Expelled the movie website]</ref>
The documentary is co-written and hosted by [[Ben Stein]] and was released in America on Friday, April 18, 2008.
The documentary is co-written and hosted by [[Ben Stein]] and was released in America on Friday, April 18, 2008.
A basic problem with this film is that it does not understand the fact that something is not true or not because of the implications of it being true or not. For example, in its' attempts to connect the Nazis with evolution, it does not understand that if some individuals used Darwin to promote Nazism does not mean that Evolution or Natural Selection or to use the term it uses throughout the film, Darwnism, is not true. At best it is an argument why it should not be true or believed to be true but not on the question is it true or not. For example, if belief in quantum mechanics led to someone committing violence against another, that doesn't make quantum mechanics true or not. If a Christian commits violence, it does not make Christianity untrue. Ironically in its' attempt to argue against evolution based on some who might have believed in it using it as a justification for the Nazi regime, it ignores the fact that while many Christians opposed the Nazis, some though unfortnately supported and even helped vote them into office in 1933. It ignores the fact that Germany in 1933 was heavily religious (much more then today). That of course does not make Christianity untrue, just as evolution is not untrue because of some of the actions of some who might have believed in it or took actions by misinterpeting it to justify their actions, as some individuals have done with the Christian religion.
The film while a supposed critique of evolution does not touch on that subject. Its' criticisms when it deals with the actual subject matter of science is critiques on abiogensis, the origins of life. But, evolution is true or not based on its' own evidence, not on where the origins of life came from. They are two different fields of biology. For example, it is well known that there are electrons in atoms but the idea that matter is composed of strings is very much still debated. That matter is composed of string or not doesn't mean that atoms don't have electrons. One is settled science and one is not.
Second, any supposed designer of life begs the question who is this designer. If it is a deity, then where did this deity come from. If the answer is it is a matter of faith then one must ask why should science be involved in matters of faith? If the supposed answer to a scientific question is one that creates more problems then the supposed solution, is it a good scientific explanation? Also,if the supposed designer is an alien being or race then who again (like the deity) caused or created them? But those who support ID for the most part don't take seriously the idea that life was started by alien beings. Like most ID supporters (though not all) they believe that the earth and life was created about or less then 10,000 years ago. Expelled is a movie that wishes to promote a view of the earth being 10,000 years old or less but doesn't want to say it directly. Those who view the film are much more likely to believe in a "Young Earth" then the US population at large. So, the language of Intelligent Design is used to appeal to more Americans then it would if it would just say the earth is less then 10,000 years old.
Evolution itself, like any science, does not deal with the subject of evolution. It only deals with observations and other tools of science. Something that doesn't use a scientific approach isn't science even if it is by chance true. If a designer cannot be tested and gives a solution to a problem (where does the designer come from for instance) more complicated then the problem itself there is no scientific reason to believe in it.
*This movie follows Ben Stein as he seeks to prove that far from being a pseudo-science trying to undermine evolutionary biology, Intelligent Design is in fact a legitimate science being suppressed by a scientific establishment that is hostile to any deviation from the status quo. <ref>http://www.wingclips.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16857&category_id=778</ref>
*This movie follows Ben Stein as he seeks to prove that far from being a pseudo-science trying to undermine evolutionary biology, Intelligent Design is in fact a legitimate science being suppressed by a scientific establishment that is hostile to any deviation from the status quo. <ref>http://www.wingclips.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16857&category_id=778</ref>
While makers of the documentary say the movie doesn't seek to champion intelligent design as the sole truth, they say it calls for more academic freedom, where challenges to any scientific theory including Darwinism would be fairly considered.<ref> [http://wingclips.com/cart.php?target=main&page=newsworthy_articles28&pageID=0 'Expelled' Approaches DVD Release Date]</ref>
While makers of the documentary say the movie doesn't seek to champion intelligent design as the sole truth, they say it calls for more academic freedom, where challenges to any scientific theory including Darwinism would be fairly considered.<ref> [http://wingclips.com/cart.php?target=main&page=newsworthy_articles28&pageID=0 'Expelled' Approaches DVD Release Date]</ref>
The film in a pre-screening ironically expelled one of the pro-evolutionist scientists that it had interviewed for the film. So much for irony. Dr. PJ Myers was made to leave the screening of the film though he had reserved seating and gave his and all other members of his party, accurate names..<ref name=latenightquickone>{{cite web |url=http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/a_late_night_quick_one.php |title=Pharyngula: A late night quick one |accessdate=2008-03-23 |author=PZ Myers |authorlink=PZ Myers |date=March 21, 2008 }}</ref>
Dr. Myers is one of the scientists (along with Dr. Richard Dawkins) that the producers of the film tricked by misleading them it was differing kind of documentary.
Ben Stein and the makers of the film in contrast to pro-evolution scientists and writers such as Dr. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens etc refuse to go on radio or tv talk shows where their views might be challenged by a non softball question. Dawkins, Hitchens and others on that side commonly go on shows where they have to defend their point of view. In other words their arguments are strenghtened because that environment (or criticism) forces them to defend their views making them more even more reasoned out and stronger. Ironically kind of like natural selection or "Darwinism" in action. The film also reportedly made cost $20 million to make much more then its' earnings of around $7 million even though it was heavily promoted by conservatives on the radio.
==[[Eugenics]]==
==[[Eugenics]]==