Thursday, May 29, 2008

Flock of Dodos

I missed this when it came out. There is a movie about the evolution/ID debate called Flock of Dodos, by Randy Olsen, an evolutionary biologist. It is reviewed by Tribeca here. The review reflects an aspect to the controversy missed most of the time:

Olson himself plays a central role in the film, and his winning, gregarious personality is a key to its success, as he interviews majors players on both sides of the intelligent design controversy (as well as his own incredibly vivacious mother, Muffy “Moose” Olson). Despite his science background (he has a degree in evolutionary biology), Olson is as open with intelligent design advocates as he is those on the other side of the issue, and the ease he finds in relating to the former is presented as both troubling and amusing. In Flock of Dodos, supporters of intelligent design come across as straight-forward, friendly people. Evolutionists, on the other hand, tend towards arrogance and intellectual elitism, making it difficult for even one of their own to relate to them. When Olson gathers a group of scientists with whom he played poker in graduate school for another game, they are full of bluster, and obsessed with being “right,” instead of trying to understand their opposition.

One would certainly think so if one's only encounters were with P.Z. Meyers and Richard Dawkins, two of evolution's militant atheists. I will see this after Expelled!

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