My first question as I approached Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed was how I should judge the film. I knew it was a documentary about Intelligent Design (ID) and Evolution. I knew that it focused on issues of academic freedom. I knew that it was done in the style of Michael Moore documentaries in which the filmmakers—shall we say?—manipulate the way facts are presented. I knew the film was going to be presenting something I didn’t agree with. All that is to say that I knew going in that I’d have plenty of things to pick at. Indeed I do.
Let me say first of all that this film really isn’t a defense of Intelligent Design, the idea that the theory of evolution has holes that can only be filled by seeing a “designer” behind creation. It barely touches on just what ID is about. The film’s thesis is that academia is prejudiced about even talking about ID. There is truth in that thesis. The larger question is whether such a prejudice is justified. The film isn’t interested in that larger question. It only wants to raise the specter of academic censorship. There are many things that haven’t earned their place into academic acceptance, such as astrology or reconstructed history. ID may deservedly fall short of that acceptance.
Instead of telling about ID, the film gives a selection of ID “martyrs” who have lost their jobs because of support of ID. At least, they say that’s the way they lost their jobs. We really can’t tell if it is that or any of the other issues involved with academic politics, or even some interpersonal issues. I was never convinced that those on the screen were fired solely because of their involvement with ID. So for me, at least, Expelled has failed to make its case.
While the film doesn’t really defend ID, it does do all it can to demonize Darwinism. It chooses opponents of ID who are uniformly atheist. It gives stories of some of them rejecting God because of what they learned in science classes. It then goes on to bring up evolution’s role in the Holocaust. The film doesn’t say that the Holocaust happened because of Darwinism, but does assign it a significant role. All of this is under the guise of why we need to question the teaching of evolution. But here too there is just too little evidence to satisfy the claims.
I still had to consider the film on its merits as film. I know that Michael Moore’s films massage the truth just as much (even though I think he does a better job of making at least an indictment if not a whole case). Moore’s films do well not so much because of what he is trying to say as because of how he does it. Moore makes his documentaries interesting and fun. Expelled tried to do that, but in this too it failed. Through archival footage it invokes Khrushchev, Stalin and the Berlin Wall as enemies of freedom—an implication that all those who oppose ID are anti-freedom and likely anti-God.
Such a smear would be like me saying that the film seems as truthful as Richard Nixon. Ben Stein would no doubt find that a compliment, and be outraged that I would consider his former boss dishonest. But in the popular mind (at least of my generation) Nixon will always be Tricky Dick from whom no one would buy a used car. (Come to think of it, I don’t think I’d buy a used car from Stein either.)
My biggest problem with the film is that it combines all of these elements to make this about faith versus atheism—or the “culture wars.” One would get the impression from this film that anyone who opposes teaching ID must be atheist. It would seem that this film wants to stand up for religious America against the Godless hordes of Communism, Nazism, and university professors. It fails to take into account or even mention the large number of faithful religious people who concur that ID does not belong in science classes. For example, the Clergy Letter Project includes the names of over 11,000 clergy who oppose teaching ID in schools. (In the interest of disclosure, it should be noted that I am a signatory to the open letter.)
It is somewhat disingenuous to say this film is about academic freedom when in fact from the things said by the producers at the screening I attended and from the marketing campaign specifically directed at religious people (like the ads that have run here on Hollywood Jesus), the film is an attempt to bring new life to the debate not about science, but about the inclusion of religion in the public square. There is indeed room to speak of religion in our society. But ID is not an adequate way of bringing that discussion forward. Nor is Expelled.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Thanks Darrel for an excellent critique. I’d wondered how *broadly* the film explored the issues. I don’t have a problem with ID. The conflict between it and Darwinism is more related to philosophy of science than science as far as I can see. I also accept evolution in as much as we understand it, but think there is a LOT we don’t have answers to, period. What the so called culture wars don’t need is more fuel on the fire. Sadly it seems Expelled is just and only just that.
April 26th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Darrel, your critique is superb on the whole, but I’d like to ask you about a couple of points:
“The film’s thesis is that academia is prejudiced about even talking about ID. There is truth in that thesis.”
How so?
“I was never convinced that those on the screen were fired solely because of their involvement with ID.”
It’s far worse than that. In fact, not a single one of those featured was fired at all.