09/27/2007
Ben Stein's money may be good, but his word is worthless (UPDATED)
Famous TV personality, columnist and pro-creationist Ben Stein has been busy duping many reputable members of the scientific comunity.
The New York Times reported today that Stein lured scientists of such high repute as Richard Dawkins into appearing in a film about the "intersection of science and faith". After the scientists gave interviews, the name of the film, the premise, and the context in which the scientists appeared was (poof!) magically changed into a a pro-creationist film.
Stein (who appears in the new film's trailer), says - in the time-honored Republican manner - he doesn't know anything about it. That, presumably, is a matter between him and his god (unless the Republicans have outsourced that job, as well).
From the NYT:
Dr. Dawkins and other scientists who agreed to be interviewed say they are surprised — and in some cases, angered — to find themselves not in “Crossroads” but in a film with a new name and one that makes the case for intelligent design, an ideological cousin of creationism. The film, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” also has a different producer, Premise Media.
The film is described in its online trailer as “a startling revelation that freedom of thought and freedom of inquiry have been expelled from publicly-funded high schools, universities and research institutions.” According to its Web site, the film asserts that people in academia who see evidence of a supernatural intelligence in biological processes have unfairly lost their jobs, been denied tenure or suffered other penalties as part of a scientific conspiracy to keep God out of the nation’s laboratories and classrooms.
...
If he had known the film’s premise, Dr. Dawkins said in an e-mail message, he would never have appeared in it. “At no time was I given the slightest clue that these people were a creationist front,” he said.
Eugenie C. Scott, a physical anthropologist who heads the National Center for Science Education, said she agreed to be filmed after receiving what she described as a deceptive invitation.
UPDATE:
PZ Meyers, one of the scientists duped for the film, weighs in on his blog.
A tip of the scientific hat to DJ Empirical, whose research extends beyond the front page of the Times.