I Went to a screening of
Flock of Dodos last night. LOVED IT! The movie explores the 'circus' around the intelligent design vs. evolution debate going on in America these days...and a circus it is indeed. The movie was directed by Randy Olson, a former marine biologist now turned filmmaker (see also
Shifting Baselines for another example of his work). Randy does a great job treating both sides of the intelligent design vs. evolution debate fairly and pointing out the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the debate, but he has no issue making it clear which side he comes out on.
Having degrees in behavioral ecology and conservation biology myself, I'm pretty much right there with him. But I also fall in line with biologists like Jane Goodall that find studying the natural world IS like studying the mind of god, the creater, a designer or whatever. Physicists have long said you don't get organization from chaos so the fact that we have a very organized universe means 'something' somehow has caused the universe to be so organized. In addition, the fact that you have things like the Fibonacci sequence that appears throughout nature in plants, animals, crystals, the curve of waves, etc. makes one wonder sometimes. Furthermore, being a bit of an animist and having a keen interest in Eastern and First Nations spirituality keeps things interesting for me too. Which takes me back to the movie. Perhaps the biggest star of Flock of Dodos is Randy's outspoken 83 year-old Mom, Muffy Moose (aka Muffy Olson). She was by far the most interesting character as she seemed the most open to hearing both sides, the most curious about both sides, and the most interested in the crossroads of her own personal spirituality and beliefs. You go girl!
I Went to a screening of Flock of Dodos last night. LOVED IT! The movie explores the 'circus' around the intelligent design vs. evolution debate going on in America these days...and a circus it is indeed. The movie was directed by Randy Olson, a former marine biologist now turned filmmaker (see also Shifting Baselines for another example of his work). Randy does a great job treating both sides of the intelligent design vs. evolution debate fairly and pointing out the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the debate, but he has no issue making it clear which side he comes out on. 
Having degrees in behavioral ecology and conservation biology myself, I'm pretty much right there with him. But I also fall in line with biologists like Jane Goodall that find studying the natural world IS like studying the mind of god, the creater, a designer or whatever. Physicists have long said you don't get organization from chaos so the fact that we have a very organized universe means 'something' somehow has caused the universe to be so organized. In addition, the fact that you have things like the Fibonacci sequence that appears throughout nature in plants, animals, crystals, the curve of waves, etc. makes one wonder sometimes. Furthermore, being a bit of an animist and having a keen interest in Eastern and First Nations spirituality keeps things interesting for me too. Which takes me back to the movie. Perhaps the biggest star of Flock of Dodos is Randy's outspoken 83 year-old Mom, Muffy Moose (aka Muffy Olson). She was by far the most interesting character as she seemed the most open to hearing both sides, the most curious about both sides, and the most interested in the crossroads of her own personal spirituality and beliefs. You go girl!
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