No Intelligence Allowed!

Interviews: Richard Dawkins &
Dr. Michael Shermer

In the upcoming a pro-Intelligent Design documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (starring comedy actor Ben Stein), several notable scientists speak in support of science and evolution, including evolutionary biologist (and outspoken atheist) Richard Dawkins, science blogger PZ Meyers, and Skeptics Society founder Michael Shermer.

As Swoopy finds out this week when she talks with Dawkins and Shermer, Expelled is not the film these scientists agreed to be a part of—nor were their experiences at advanced screenings what they expected….

Show Notes

Date - April 1st, 2008, Read by Derek.
Today's show falls on April Fools Day.
Unfortunately this subject matter is not a hoax.
Spring is official here, time for a happy Intelligent Design film starring Ben Stein.
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed claims scientists conspire to keep ID out of the classroom
Biologist turned film maker Dr. Randy Olson warned us about Expelled last October.
Biologist and science blogger PZ Meyers has also been keeping an eye on Expelled.
PZ's blog, Pharyngula is one of the most popular science blogs in the world.
One of those friends was Professor Richard Dawkins.
True to form, PZ blogged about being "Expelled" while the showing was still going on.
Swoopy talked with Richard Dawkins while he was at a Chicago hotel (with a bad phone).
Nearly all the scientists who appear in Expelled including Meyers, Dawkins and Shermer say they were misled from the beginning about the subject of the film.
After the screening Dawkins posted a lengthy review of Expelled on his website.
PZ and Dawkins also appear in these videos discussing the issue.
If the producers would have been truthful, Dawkins would have not participated.
Dawkins believes there are far more Atheists in the USA than reported.
Dawkins created the "Out" campaign to get atheists out of the closet.
There are over 22 books written in answer to The God Delusion.
In some places Swoopy suspects it's easier to come out as gay than atheist.
Surprisingly, Dawkins is buoyed up by support, and is rarely discouraged.
Dawkins next book will be about the evidence for Evolution.
Michael Shermer was at the NRBC to debate Dinesh D'Souza.
Coincidently Mark Mathis invited Dr. Shermer to see Expelled.
Shermer noted that the crowd of Religious broadcasters loved the film.
The film portrays Darwin and Science as the reason for Hitler and other atrocities.
Is it a coincidence this movie is out in a presidential election year?
It's likely the controversy over the film will increase it's box office revenue.
Some scientists have wondered if neo atheism is good for science.
Similarly the anti-Islamic film Fitna isn't exactly what it appears to be either.
Network Solutions removed the coming soon website for the film without seeing it.
Fitna was produced by a Dutch politician in keeping with the views of his party.
Specifically the Party for Freedom which among other things wants to ban the Quaran.
Manufacturing Dissent explores the documentary techniques of Michael Moore.
The company that created this film is Premise Media.
The listed Chairman of the Board of Premise media is A. Logan Craft.
Craft has been speaking at religious conferences for years about ID and the media.
Craft predicted that the Republican party would make ID in schools part of their platform.
Legislators in Florida are using Expelled to advertise their bill.
Representative Alan Hays filed House 1483: Relating to Teaching Chemical and Biological Evolution.
FL Legislators were invited to view Expelled followed by a press conference including
members of The Discovery Institute and Expelled star Ben Stein.
These type of bills are dubbed Academic Freedom bills.
We're not kidding.
The Expelled Challenge offers to pay schools up to $10,000 to send students to see the movie.
Ticket stubs will only be redeemed for the first 2 weeks of the film, to give the film the best opening weekend box office possible.
You can see the short trailer for Expelled here. The long trailer for Expelled here.
ExpelledExposed.com is the National Center for Science Education's official response.
Skepticality outro.