Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

There is a new movie coming out this Friday night (April 18, 2008). It is probably the most anticipated documentary ever to hit the screens:

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

This film stars many scientists with varying views on evolution, Intelligent Design theory, neo-Darwinism and Social Darwinism. Former presidential speechwriter/comedian/game show host Ben Stein does most of the leg work in this film. He runs all over the US and even visits other countries in his quest to get to the bottom of all the commotion surrounding the “big questions” of our origin.

I was privileged to attend one of the early screenings of the film in Louisville KY. And I can say that, over all, the film is quite well done. It is entertaining. It is informative. And though Stein has taken a side on the issue, he allows the scientists he interviews to say what they think. They were given the questions ahead of time in order to prepare their answers. Even so, this gets pretty incriminating for some of them at times when they suggest that life was formed “on the backs of crystals” or speculate that possibly aliens bestowed life on our humble planet.

The film begins with a visit from Ben Stein to a former employee of the Smithsonian institute who claims he was fired for publishing a peer reviewed science article which spoke favorably of Intelligent Design. The skeptical Stein then investigates further into many similar claims. This is one of the primary ideas of the film, probably the most causative reason for the film.

Its purpose is not to debunk the theory of evolution or to force public high schools to teach Creationism (gasp!). It is to expose the fact that many in academia are purposefully trying to smash all dissent and discussion of the modern dogma of neo-Darwinism. If scientists are no longer allowed to follow the evidence where it leads, then how can science continue to expand knowledge? The film is not an attack on science, but a defense of it.

Ben Stein concludes his journey by visiting the site of a former Nazi concentration camp. But contrary to what some critics would have you to believe, Expelled does not try to blame Darwin for the atrocity known as the Holocaust. Darwin made claims that the “lower” forms of humanity should not be allowed to propagate. Hitler tried to give evolution a little boost. He tried to speed up what he believed would eventually be the natural selection of the aryan race. Stein eloquently makes this clear.

The movie is an honest look at neo-Darwinism, ID, and the academy of the modern day. I highly recommend it to anyone who cares about our origins, our dignity, or our right to free speech.

For another review, go here:

http://www.evolutionnews.org/2008/04/expelled_critics_so_bored_they.html#more