Profs Need Proof

I'm going to talk about the content of a film I haven't seen. I usually don't do this, but from the statements by the filmmakers alone, I feel pretty confident the information I have is accurate.

From what I've heard, the thesis of the Ben Stein-hosted movie Expelled is that big bad science is close-minded and afraid to allow "Intelligent Design"-supporting critics of evolution to have their say.

No doubt 9/11 truthers could make a similar claim about how they're shut out of the academy, even though they have a whole roster of major thinkers on their side.

Apparently, the film's creators use Michael Moore-style editing to make their points. It's also reported they borrowed some moves from the Borat playbook, misrepresenting to the scientists they interviewed what the film was really about. All this suggests the movie might be entertaining, but will definitely be dishonest.

PS Now that I've read the Wikipedia entry on the film, it sounds even worse than I thought. The movie seems to claim evolution has caused all sorts of evil, including Nazism.

PPS An interesting piece in Slate on the movie and skepticism in general.

PPPS There are now quite a few places on the internet discussing the dishonesty of the film. There's even a website devoted to it.