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Scientists say they were duped into agreeing to interviews for an upcoming movie promoting intelligent design. In a New York Times article today, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins says he would not have agreed to appear in the movie had he known what it was about, while anthropologist Eugenie Scott claims she was also misled.

"Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" examines the persecution of scientists who dare to question Darwinism. In a trailer, Ben Stein, the movie's narrator, proclaims that "scientists are not allowed to even think thoughts that involve an intelligent creator." Dawkins told the Times that he was under the impression he was being interviewed for a movie called "Crossroads," which would examine the interface between science and religion.

P.Z. Myers, a University of Minnesota professor, described his similar experience working with the movie's makers on his blog Pharyngula. Myers wrote, "... not telling one of the sides in a debate about what the subject might be and then leading him around randomly to various topics, with the intent of later editing it down to the parts that just make the points you want, is the video version of quote-mining and is fundamentally dishonest."

Myers and the others are slated to appear on the silver screen in February 2008. The film's makers denied any deception, according to the New York Times.

An intense thread of over 200 comments follows Myers's posting. We'd like to hear what you think of the situation. Post your comments to this blog.