I would say that it is all part of an anti-intellectual crusade on the part of the Temple of Darwin.
Good point.
ignore or affront the fundamental values of scientific inquiry
Ben Stein is about as likely to ignore those values as Obama is to prefer McDonald's over wagyu beef (whatever that is).
I'm not sure what constitutes an "affront" to values, but Stein called some conventions and practices into question. Big deal.