Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
I was skeptical when I first started viewing “Expelled.” First off, it seemed to be promoting Intelligent Design (ID), which I haven’t seen too much good press about ever. Second, Ben Stein has shown recently that his politics are too pragmatic (and thus less idealistic) for my taste. But as the documentary progressed, complete with interviews between Ben Stein and numerous bearded scientists, it became clear that the picture wasn’t about ID, it was about academic freedom specifically, and liberty generally. Also, from solely viewing this documentary, Stein provides a shining example of a pure libertarian, a quality that everyone should be able to respect and support regardless of their political persuasion. The showcase of this piece is an interview with Richard Dawkins, which shows him basically giving proof for Intelligent Design (though his intelligence is a far-off alien species, not God), and a dramatic parrellel drawn between the Berlin wall and the artificial wall separating ID scientists from the rest of the scientific community.