Mugged

Talking about "Expelled", the movie about "intelligent design" that attempts to take Darwinian theory to task in favour of, um, yeah well, whatever, the movie's frontman Ben Stein comments:

"I don't question that other people may have different narratives about some of the people featured in the film," Stein says, "but my experience is that if you mention intelligent design, you do get slammed, you do get mugged." The New York Times, where Stein writes a weekly column, "gave the film one of the most vicious reviews I've ever seen."

Mugged? Never mind mugged: faith and religion is one thing, but anyone trying to pass off this Disneyesque fantasy as Science should be flogged like a 3-legged pack mule. But then again, look what else Stein has to say:

"For Stein, it's at least arguable that life on Earth shows evidence of "intelligent design," a phrase that coats him in the distinctive colours of creationism. But he is as unapologetic about this belief as he is unapologetic in insisting that Nixon's presidency was much better than its detractors claim and in predicting that in two years, reviled as George W. Bush now is in many precincts, Americans will be wishing they could have him back in the Oval Office." (emphasis mine)

The Context, it's everything, no?

Are ID proponents being silenced?

We can only hope. (Kidding)

I suppose the IDbots have a right to their say. But I think things like the creationist propaganda movie "Expelled" are what's meant when people refer to the downside of free speech being the attempt to push irrational and stupid ideas into the mainstream.

Amanda Gefter of New Scientist recently went to a screening of "Expelled", and given the chance to explain themselves, the ID proponents don't do a very good job of it:

"I had another question to ask and held my hand up high, but Mathis called on anyone and everyone else who appeared to be more sympathetic. Finally, he looked at his watch and said, "Well, I think that's all the time we have," and began to walk out. I followed him out into the lobby to speak with him.

I said that the film spent a lot of time making the point that proponents of evolution can't explain how life arose from non-life, and asked how intelligent design explains it. It doesn't, he acknowledged.

"Then don't you think it's strange that you tried to pin that on the scientists?" I asked. "Well, it's a real hole in their theory," he said.

"Actually, it's not - the theory of evolution never purported to touch on the issue of how life arose from non-life, it's about how species arose from other species." I said that in science, criticising someone else's theory doesn't make your theory right, and that the film never bothers to say how intelligent design explains anything at all.

He countered that intelligent design says there are things that are too complex to be explained by natural selection.

I asked how ID explains the complexity, but he said, "I don't have time for this," and walked away." (emphasis mine)

Huh. And "Up is up means I win, nyeah nyeah nyeah".