Flock of Dodos

Infobox Film
name = Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus
writer = Randy Olson
director = Randy Olson
language = English
runtime = 84 minutes
country = USA
distributor = Documentary Educational Resources
website = http://www.flockofdodos.com
amg_id = 1:348193
imdb_id = 0800334

"Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus" is a documentary film by American marine biologist and filmmaker Randy Olson. It highlights the debate between proponents of the concept of intelligent design and the scientific consensus that supports evolution.

The documentary was first screened publicly on February 2, 2006 in Kansas, where much of the public controversy on intelligent design began, as well as the starting point of discussion in the documentary. Other public screenings followed in universities, including Harvard and the SUNY Stony Brook, marking the celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday.

ynopsis

"Flock of Dodos" examines the disagreements that proponents of intelligent design have with the scientific consensus position of evolution. [cite news | url=http://www.livescience.com/health/060303_flock_dodos.html | title=Filmmaker Portrays Evolutionists as a 'Flock of Dodos' | publisher=Live Science |date= 03 March 2006 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17]

The evolutionarily famous dodo ("Raphus cucullatus") is a now-extinct bird that lived on the Island of Mauritius, which is approximately 500 miles east of Madagascar. When Portuguese sailors arrived on the island, the possible combination of over-hunting and introduction of new predators (i.e. pigs, macaques) seems to have led to its extinction by approximately 1700. Due to its lack of fear of humans and inability to fly, the dodo was easy prey, and thus became known for its apparent stupidity. It failed to change with an evolving environment, which ultimately led to the birds' demise.

The film attempts to determine who the real "dodos" are in a constantly evolving world: the scientists who are failing to promote evolution as a scientifically accepted fact, the intelligent design advocates, or the American public who get fooled by the "salesmanship" of evolution critics. While Randy Olson ultimately sides with the scientists who accept evolution, he gives equal air time to both sides of the argument, including intelligent design proponent Michael Behe and several of his colleagues.

The film begins by going over the history of intelligent design thought from Plato and Paley to the present-day incarnation promoted by the Discovery Institute. Olson mixes in humorous cartoons of squawking dodos with commentary from his mother and interviews with proponents on both sides of the intelligent design/evolution debate.

On the intelligent design side, Olson interviews Behe, John Calvart (founder of the Access Research Network) and a member of the Kansas school board. [cite news | url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/348193/A-Flock-of-Dodos-The-Evolution-Intelligent-Design-Circus/overview | title=A Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus | publisher=New York Times |date= 2008 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17] Olson also unsuccessfully tries to interview school board member Connie Morris and members of the Discovery Institute.

Release

The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, in April 2006 [cite news | url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5364401 | title=Interview: 'Flock of Dodos' and the Debate over Intelligent Design | publisher=NPR |date= April 26, 2006 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17] , and since then has played at film festivals all over the U.S. and abroad. The documentary was shown in museums and universities as part of a "Dodos Darwin Day" event (celebrating Charles Darwin's birthday) on or around February 12, 2007. "Flock of Dodos: the Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus" is currently (as of January 2008) in rotation on Showtime in the US and available on DVD. [cite news | url=http://www.sho.com/site/schedules/product_page.do?episodeid=129643&seriesid=0 | title=Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus | publisher=Showtime |date= 2008| first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17]

The documentary was praised by the journal Nature [cite news | url=http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060130/full/news060130-14.html | title=Flock of Dodos | publisher=Nature (journal) |date= 3 February 2006 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17] and a variety of other publications. [cite news | url=http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2006/ZZ/707_nationwide_screenings_of_flock_12_6_2006.asp | title=Nationwide Screenings of FLOCK OF DODOS to Celebrate Darwin Day 2007 | publisher=National Center for Science Education |date= December 6, 2006 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17] [cite news | url=http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2006/02/17/randy-flock-of-dodos-olson-speaks/ | title=Randy “Flock of Dodos” Olson Speaks | publisher=Discover Magazine |date= February 17th, 2006 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17]

In 2007, Olson released a collection of "pulled punches," of unreleased material that he choose to leave out that reflected poorly on intelligent design supporters. [cite news | url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx3GaDek98M | title=Flock of Dodos DVD Extras, "Pulled Punches" | publisher=Youtube |date= May 10, 2007 | first= | last= | accessdate =2008-08-17]

Discovery Institute response

Olson invited the Discovery Institute, a hub of the intelligent design movement, to appear in the movie, but rather the institute responded by creating a website, Hoax of Dodos, characterizing the documentary as "revisionist history," and a "hoax" filled with inaccuracies and misrepresentations. [http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3890 Hoax of Dodos] Discovery Institute, February 7, 2007.]

Biologist PZ Myers responded to the institute's "bogus complaint that Olson was lying in the movie" about Ernst Haeckel's drawings of embryos is false.PZ Myers, [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/wells_false_accusation_against.php Wells' false accusation against Randy Olson] , Pharyngula (blog), 2007] Myers explained the drawings have not been used in recent biology textbooks "other than a mention that once upon a time Haeckel came up with this idea of ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny." Myers and other critics of intelligent design have shown that each of these texts treats Haeckel's theory of ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny as an example of an outdated exaggeration. Myers notes in his rebuttal of the criticism from design proponents that, "I would add that progress in evolutionary biology has led to better explanations of the phenomenon that vertebrate embryos go through a period of similarity: it lies in conserved genetic circuitry that lays down the body plan."

In early 2007 the Discovery Institute noted Olson claims, "The Discovery Institute is truly the big fish in this picture, with an annual budget of around $5 million." However, they responded that their budget is only $4.2 million, and they spend close to $1 million per year funding intelligent design. [ [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2004/911/521/2004-911521697-01f08279-9.pdf] , [http://www.discord.org/%7Elippard/DI-2003-Form990.pdf] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.flockofdodos.com "Flock of Dodos"]
* [http://www.sciencefriday.com/pages/2007/Feb/hour2_022307.html Science Friday Commentary (Feb. 23. 07)]

*Profile of "Flock of Dodos" director [http://www.conbio.org/CIP/article81peo.cfm#Olson Randy Olson] by Eric Sorensen in (2007) Forward thinkers: People to watch in 2007. "Conservation", 8(1).
* [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/wells_false_accusation_against.php PZ Myers responding to the criticisms about Haeckel's drawings]