SHEER IDIOCY

Okay, I have to talk about another film. I'll actually READ something one of these days, I promise, but I have to explain why this documentary my friend made me watch is so idiotic and misleading. Expelled is a "satirical" documentary claiming that the Intelligent Design theory has been unfairly suppressed in academics and that it should be given its proper place in science. The film tries to present proponents of intelligent design as genuine scientists who are curious enough about the world to question the "dogmatic" theory of evolution. They claim that the argument of intelligent design doesn't have anything to do with religion, thus that teaching it in schools would not violate the secular nature of government (which as we all know is a myth any way). Finally, the claim that Darwinism leads to fascism. Yes, that's right.

Let me take you through the various forms of sophistry this film uses:

1) The presenter (let us call him "the Visine Tears man," for that is who he is) completely misrepresents various theories on the origin of life that are presented by evolutionary biologists. When one scientists tells him the theory that the first biological molecules "formed on crystals," the documentary shows a black-and-white image of a man looking at a crystal ball and Visine tears man incredulously goes "crystals? That doesn't sound very likely to me." Essentially, the film is relying upon the fact that most viewers will know NOTHING about chemistry and will assume that a crystal is something shiny. At another point, he criticizes the concept of "directed panspermia" as ridiculous, dismissing it as the claim that "aliens did it." And yet, at another point he shows Dawkins saying that alien beings might have planned life on earth and proclaims, "AH HAH! Dawkins thinks intelligent design might be plausible!" Well DUH, but didn't you just ridicule the idea that "aliens did it" earlier in the film? And how did these aliens arise themselves, eh?
2) The documentary fails to provide ANY scientific evidence for intelligent design or ANY examples of research that takes intelligent design as an assumption to accomplish its ends. It is a bit unfair to accuse evolutionary biologists of anti-intellectualism if you fail to defend your own intellectual position or even point out the holes in that of the other party. In fact, the film doesn't go beyond claiming that there ARE holes in evolutionary theory.
3) After the confusing jumble of scientists refusing to elaborate on their science that makes up the first part of the film, we are presented of images of Visine tears man walking through a Nazi scientist laboratory and going on about how "Darwinism was an essential condition for Nazi-ism." Yes, because science informed the world view that certain people are inferior. The idea that scientific ideas can be perverted to extend certain points of view is utterly preposterous, isn't it? Oh wait, what's that? You claim that the other side distorts science to perpetuate their own atheistic world view! Aaah, so Darwinism causes fascism...no, wait, racism causes Darwinism which then causes fascism... let's just agree that everything collides in a swirling stream of atheism, racism, fascism, and worst of all, Darwinism.

Maybe I should stop trying to analyze their arguments here. I mean, wouldn't that make me a NAZI?
4) They show the Berlin wall throughout the film. So Evolutionary biologists are COMMIES! And Nazis! Wait...that doesn't even make sense...

Not only is this film quite patently propaganda, it's badly-made propaganda. If the intention of the filmmakers was to confuse people, well done to them. All I can say is that I am sure there are some proponents of intelligent design theory out there who are hanging their heads in shame that this film was ever made.