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Written by cjg
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Tuesday, 15 April 2008 |
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It's tempting to want to ignore Ben Stein's creationist propaganda film, Expelled!, simply for the fact that it makes its "critiques" of evolutionary theory through smears and innuendo (Darwin caused the Holocaust!!!) rather than through actual, you know, science. Unfortunately, Expelled! is helping drive so-called "academic freedom" bills in Florida, Louisiana, and Missouri which grant K-12 science teachers the "freedom" to teach "alternatives" to evolutionary theory (missing out on the fact that there is nothing "academic" about these alternatives).
The point of Expelled! is, of course, to discredit science through scorched earth tactics which attempt to link modern biological science to every evil of modernity. Why? Zachary Kurtz pretty much hits the nail on the head:
It turns out Stein is not interested in conducting pure research in
order to find out scientific truth "wherever it may lead". Stein is
only interested in answers that lead him to a deity. Since science
cannot provide these answers, he accuses it of being biased.
Creationists are angry at evolution, because it does not conform to the answers they expect or want.
Legislators looking for answers about what academic freedom really means and what evolutionary science actually teaches would be well-advised to look elsewhere than a film starring someone who's primarily known for his role as a soporific history teacher and as a shill for eyedrops.
Tags:
Florida |
Louisiana |
Missouri |
academic freedom |
ben stein |
intelligent design |
researchiness |
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