The culture wars have officially gotten too complicated for me. Ben Stein, a Nixon Republican--as well as a game-show host and financial columnist--has made "Expelled," a documentary defending the rights of neo-Creationist scientists to question the arguments of neo-Darwinians. Roger Moore, a movie reviewer and blogger for the Orlando Sentinel responds here in a strong dismissal of Stein’s conservative claims by accusing his film of resorting to the tactics of Michael Moore, the famously liberal maker of "Bowling for Columbine" and "Sicko."
Who’s side is who on? I don’t know, but the tenacious attack makes it worth a read, after you watch a clip from the movie below:
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OK, a supporter of Nixon and sworn enemy of Ferris Beuhler - why would we NOT accept his theory as truth?
Ben Stein is a dry, funny guy who works best when he is not offering his own viewpoints. No one does deadpan as well, but I really don't think he is a great spokesperson for something as sexy & stimulating as the Creation / Evolution argument.
Science points to the mechanisms - "the observable how" - of life. Intelligent design looks at "the possible why" of life; ID proponents should keep that part of the debate where it belongs. It's philosophy, pure and simple and therefore has no place in Science.
This is political posturing, though I expect no less from Stein.
I've watched this several times. From my perspective, he is saying that you have a right to believe what you do no matter what. The Academic community is constantly trying to erode the spirituality of the self and he is giving the warning this is happening.
Trying to put orthodox Creationism up as a "Scientific" theory doesn't work. God has given us the ability to reason which has given us mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and archeology. We should look on these as tools we are to use to better the lives of humanity.
As the saying goes, if we don't learn from history, we are condemned to repeat it. Archeology is history. The philosophical basis of how we use that knowledge is up to us. To me, the best handbook for that usage is the Bible.
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