I had the opportunity recently to preview Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, the forthcoming movie made by Ben Stein, best known for his game show “Win Ben Stein’s Money” and for being the teacher in ‘Ferris Beuller’s Day Off” who kept asking “Anyone? Anyone?”. There has been very little press so far about the movie, which is expected to open in theaters next month, but it does for free scientific inquiry and intelligent design what Al Gore did for global warming in “An Inconvenient Truth.” Shot in the form of a documentary, the movie is filled with Ben Stein’s usual deadpan wit, but it is also deadly serious. Its tone is a bit cheeky, and it will certainly make some viewers highly irritated. We were asked not reveal any of the contents of the movie, so the link to the trailer at the left will have to speak for itself. Suffice it to say, it is a brilliant tour de force which is witty, entertaining, provocative and right. This movie deserves tremendous support on opening weekend.
January 7, 2008 at 6:25 pm
So jealous! The trailer looked really interesting and I love Ben Stein’s dedication to truth and knowledge as from the aforementioned deadpan wit. I will probably have to wait for it to hit Netflix.
January 7, 2008 at 8:03 pm
It seems to me there are a number of distinct issues here, none of which was very carefully drawn out in the trailer: (1) holes in Darwin’s theory, which are far fewer today than they were in Darwin’s time, but which still exist, (2) the theory, known popularly as creationism, which has no foundation in science, but a growing body of pseudo-science that it’s proponents adduce in its favor, (3) the intolerance of radical materialists who regard any religious explanation as both false and harmful, even the Catholic explanation that God created space-time according to his specific design, a design which likely includes a mechanism for evolution through natural selection.
I regard Ben Stein as being a very bright guy, but I have no idea, based on this trailer, whether he’s proposing the idea that it’s scientific hubris to claim that creationism, as such, is demonstrably wrong.
January 7, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I was at the viewing as well.
Your fears are unfounded. It is actually really good. Could be better, but it is still really good.
January 8, 2008 at 2:15 pm
What do you mean? What fears? You mean, the fear that he’s sanctioning creationism?