"Expelled:" A Review

On Friday night, I finally got around to seeing "Expelled," the Number 1 documentary of 2008...

"Ben Stein stars in this satirical documentary which examines the criticisms and hostilities that exist in today's scientific field (both academic and professional) towards peers and journalists who subscribe to or even entertain the perspective of Intelligent Design in science."

After watching the film, I organized my thoughts into 5 major categories...

1) "Expelled" is a legitimately excellent movie which covers the I.D. controversy from multiple angles - including the most important angle of all - which is the survival of freedom in America.

At its most fundamental level, the I.D. debate isn't about science; it's about freedom. The freedom to "follow the facts wherever they go" and speak your conscience - without fear of punishment. Before "Expelled" was released, we were unquestionably losing that fight for freedom; but if "Expelled" gets a wide enough circulation, there is reason to hopeful that we can go on offense and turn the tides back in our favor.

2) The I.D. debate is a genuinely important issue which affects all Americans.

I don't think it's any exaggeration to say that for the last 250 years or so, "science" has been the most respected institution in Western society; and the high public regard for "science" (a rational, objective way of seeing the world) was directly related to the West's economic climb (though scientifically-inspired technological breakthroughs) and the rise of political democracy.

But by arrogantly changing their mission from "objective seekers of truth" to playing "thought police," the scientific establishment is crippling their credibility - perhaps beyond repair.

Actually, my mistake: this isn't about science; it was never about science; it's about protecting an atheist ideology. Now the whole thing makes sense!

Is it any wonder that, according to the General Social Survey, the percentage of Americans who express a "great deal of confidence" in the "scientific community' has dropped from 45% to 40% over the last 8 years? Expect that number to keep falling.

3) There was one extremely emotional section of the film: The video of Adolf Hitler's speech in which he praises "Social Darwinism," followed by Ben Stein's present-day tour of a concentration camp in which thousands were killed in the spirit of that "Social Darwinist" ideology. Rarely has the link between Darwinism and the Holocaust been so well-presented.

4) Even today, radical Darwinism is spreading lies in a way that does great damage.

5) Final thought: I really respect Ben Stein for taking the initiative to become a leader in the I.D. movement - knowing full well that it would do irreversible damage to his career and reputation. Before "Expelled," Mr. Stein was highly-regarded by America's elite. The man was a well-known actor and economist (talk about a strange combination!). But there is no issue that riles the American Elite more than evolution (with the possible exception of abortion). And for challenging that issue, Mr. Stein continues to pay a price. And yet Mr. Stein has championed this cause with great courage and enthusiasm. And he is to be applauded for that.

The "Expelled" website can be found here.

And here is the Discovery Institute's "One-Stop Rebuttal to Attacks on Expelled."

-Todd