It's a shame I like Ben Stein. He's got a great, no-nonsense personality and, of course, was in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (I know this isn't really important but, man, I really like Ferris Bueller's Day Off). He has a good way with words and a kind of brick wall affront that makes him a compelling man to listen to.
Or should that be a hypnotic man to listen to?
Because, as much as I like Ben Stein's personality, his views on religion, evolution and life are downright absurd.
I could go on forever about Ben Stein (I probably will as this blog expands) but I want to mention today his frankly absurd view on evolution. For those who don't know Ben Stein watch him on YouTube. I'll post up this link where he interviews Dawkins because, as much as Dawkins is right (not necessarily about aliens but, well, anybody with a thinking brain will know that's not what Dawkins is actually saying), you can see how Stein's brick-wall persona can be unsettling (although, for the record, I think this interview is like, most interviews, pretty much constructed and not really a true, real-time debate):
What really gets to me about Stein, more than most of the things he says, is his pretty obvious belief that atheists are vacuous, unloving and uncaring souls who are terrified by the idea of a judgemental God. Stein believes in the pretty narrow minded point of view that atheists are really selfish attention seekers, more interested in their own views than in disproving God. Quite how that argument works I don't understand, as Stein is the very epitome of God's ambassador interested in upholding his own views on God, often at the behest of common sense.
What annoys me about Stein is his view on evolution. He seems to largely believes it as an untrue theory, in favour of the theory of Intelligent Design (oh dear...). Worse still he claims the theory of evolution has led to such depraved events as the Holocaust.
He is right there, I concede. In the same way religious beliefs have led to such depraved events as the Crusades, 9/11, the Spanish Inquisition, the Troubles in Ireland and the mass crucifixions of Roman times (to name but a tiny, tiny few).
The truth is any theory, doctrine, belief or point of view can be twisted to its own ends. The concept of 'Survivial of the Fittest' in undoubtedly quite a cruel one, but evidence for it is so abundant it's not even worth trying to refute. Everyday thousands and millions of life forms are dying for the sustenance or longevity of another. Those that are able to withstand these attacks survive, and those that survive breed and pass on their genes. Some of these genes may be useless or unimportant but, logically, the genes that allow a lifeform to survive are also passed along. This is how nature selects the course of every species, and how through millions of tiny mutations, changes and combinations species evolve.
But the point is this. We, as human beings, have evolved to the point where we are conscious of this phenomena, and we can choose as humans what to do about it. Because evolution exists scientifically and naturally it doesn't mean to say it needs to exist socially, or culturally. These days any sane and emotional being would be horrified by the idea of executing those that "don't contribute" to the gene pool, or are impaired or somehow tax our resources. Whether disabled, mentally or physically, or ill or disadvantaged in any way, we recognise all life has value. Even an atheist gets that (yes, Mr. Stein, even an atheist).
And the reason is this: Survival is now no longer our daily challenge (at least not obviously). Food, shelter; these things are more stable for most of us (though clearly not all of us) than they ever have been in the past. What matters now is what we can impart: knowledge, art, an understanding of this world, hope or happiness. These are not strictly part of nature's design, but they add meaning to a world in which our conscious can ask questions and search for meaning.
That's why everybody regardless of race, culture, or the state of their body or mind, can produce something worthwhile. And that's why anybody with common sense will see the evidence for evolution in nature, but not wish to apply it to society.
I think Ben Stein's use of the holocaust to arouse deep emotion is frankly a cheap shot (he even compared one of Obama's policies to the Nazi regime, if I remember correctly). Hitler was a deranged man. He could quite easily have been a Christian fanatic as much as he was a fanatic of the concept of the Aryan race. Ben Stein equating evolution with the holocaust is sort of like me equating Christianity to shopping for gifts, just because that's what I do at Christmas. Hitler took the principles of evolution and he distorted them and applied them to his view of society, and it was clearly a despicable doctrine that Hitler devised.
Evolution exists, whether Ben Stein likes it or not. It happens naturally in every species and we don't need to consciously attempt it at the social level in our own. Stein should rejoice in evolution: finally, we've evolved as a species to no longer need to fight for our survival so fiercely, or to execute individuals that cannot fight with us. That's a glorious thing and it doesn't have to come from God.
So, Mr. Stein, you'll never read this, but please, don't pity me. I'm not a soulless atheist who feels cold and secretly doesn't care what happens to my neighbour or my species. I love humanity and I love what we can achieve and, yes, I'll even love you. Just don't tell me I need God to do that please.
Oh, and mark me absent, I'm not coming to class...
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