Scientists' beef with ID moviemakers

Written byKerry Grens

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Scientists say they were duped into agreeing to interviews for an upcoming movie promoting intelligent design. In a __New York Times__ linkurl:article;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/science/27expelled.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 today, evolutionary biologist linkurl:Richard Dawkins;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/14767 says he would not have agreed to appear in the movie had he known what it was about, while anthropologist Eugenie Scott claims she was also misled. linkurl:"Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed";http://www.expelledthemovie.com/home.php examines the linkurl:persecution;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/38440/ of scientists who dare to question Darwinism. In a trailer, Ben Stein, the movie's narrator, proclaims that "scientists are not allowed to even think thoughts that involve an intelligent creator." Dawkins told the __Times__ that he was under the impression he was being interviewed for a movie called "Crossroads," which would examine the interface between science and religion. P.Z. Myers, a University of Minnesota professor, described his similar experience working with the movie's makers on his linkurl:blog;http://tinyurl.com/24u2go, Pharyngula. Myers wrote, "... not telling one of the sides in a debate about what the subject might be and then leading him around randomly to various topics, with the intent of later editing it down to the parts that just make the points you want, is the video version of quote-mining and is fundamentally dishonest." Myers and the others are slated to appear on the silver screen in February 2008. The film's makers denied any deception, according to the __New York Times__. An intense thread of over 200 comments follows Myers's posting. We'd like to hear what you think of the situation. Post your comments to this blog.

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Meet the Author

Kerry Grens
Kerry served as The Scientist’s news director until 2021. Before joining The Scientist in 2013, she was a stringer for Reuters Health, the senior health and science reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia, and the health and science reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Kerry got her start in journalism as a AAAS Mass Media fellow at KUNC in Colorado. She has a master’s in biological sciences from Stanford University and a biology degree from Loyola University Chicago.
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