My Television Is Attacking Ben Stein!!!!

I've been laid up with a nasty disease the last few days, so I've not been doing much productive. But I have gotten some TV watching in.

Just in time, too. Has anyone else noticed that House (last night) and Numbers (tonight, in fact, airing this very moment) contain thinly veiled attacks on Intelligent Design, Expelled, and/or Ben Stein?

More like this

Just watched Numb3rs - great stuff, I thought. "How else would a God reveal himself but through his creation?" Heeh.

I saw that on Numb3rs tonight. I loved when Larry was told to choose between "Hitler's science" and a cult. But I missed House. What was the attack?

Good on them.

By Hermagoras (not verified) on 02 May 2008 #permalink

They're new? They're pointed? [whimper] I have to wait until the rest of the household can also watch. I love having a DVR, but sometimes delaying gratification just isn't that...gratifying.

By Stephanie Z (not verified) on 02 May 2008 #permalink

I... ugh... better watch...

The attack on Stein was thinly veiled? I thought it couldn't have been clearer if they'd turned toward the camera and said; "Yeah, we're talkin' to you, Ben Stein!"

Which is to say, I loved it. Numb3rs is a schmaltzy show but it's a voice in favor of reason and rationality. As is House.

Caught House the other day and was pleasantly surprised by the slight comment in passing. I was kind of hoping it would be the main theme of the episode but no such luck. Would be interesting to see how Sherlock Holmes would have addressed the (ill)logical position of ID.

"Would be interesting to see how Sherlock Holmes would have addressed the (ill)logical position of ID." I suspect that it would be funny, but not quite what you expect. My evidence follows.

"His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it."

Watson, describing Holmes in "A Study in Scarlet"

Would be interesting to see how Sherlock Holmes would have addressed the (ill)logical position of ID.

Hm. Given that Doyle was one of the die-hard believers in the Cottingley fairies hoax, I'm not so confident that Doyle would write Holmes as dismissing ID.