Michael J. Behe A (R)evolutionary Biologist

Darwin Devolves

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The scientist who has been dubbed the “Father of Intelligent Design” and author of the groundbreaking book Darwin’s Black Box contends that recent scientific discoveries further disprove Darwinism and strengthen the case for an intelligent creator.

In his controversial bestseller Darwin’s Black Box, biochemist Michael Behe challenged Darwin’s theory of evolution, arguing that science itself has proven that intelligent design is a better explanation for the origin of life. In Darwin Devolves, Behe advances his argument, presenting new research that offers a startling reconsideration of how Darwin’s mechanism works, weakening the theory’s validity even more.

A system of natural selection acting on random mutation, evolution can help make something look and act differently. But evolution never creates something organically. Behe contends that Darwinism actually works by a process of devolution — damaging cells in DNA in order to create something new at the lowest biological levels. This is important, he makes clear, because it shows the Darwinian process cannot explain the creation of life itself. “A process that so easily tears down sophisticated machinery is not one which will build complex, functional systems,” he writes.

In addition to disputing the methodology of Darwinism and how it conflicts with the concept of creation, Behe reveals that what makes Intelligent Design unique — and right — is that it acknowledges causation. Evolution proposes that organisms living today are descended with modification from organisms that lived in the distant past. But Intelligent Design goes a step further asking, what caused such astounding changes to take place? What is the reason or mechanism for evolution? For Behe, this is what makes Intelligent Design so important.

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Michael Behe discusses Darwin Devolves with Eric Metaxas

Plaudits

Opening New Avenues of Thought

I highly recommend this book to both proponents and skeptics of Darwinian evolution as it will open new avenues of thought and creativity regarding this important subject.

Russell Carlson, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia

Behe’s Latest Masterpiece

Behe’s latest masterpiece takes the evidence marshaled in defense of the unbounded power of blind evolution and deftly brings it to the opposite conclusion: evolution is self-limiting by design. Time for the Behe-bashers to retire.

Douglas Axe, Director of Biologic Institute and author of Undeniable

Comprehensive and Convincing Arguments

Darwin Devolves is a must read. Behe presents comprehensive and convincing arguments that genomic reduction is responsible for numerous classic examples of species adaptive radiation, challenging Darwin’s “mutation and selection” mechanism as the source of life’s diversity.

Scott A. Minnich, Professor and Program Coordinator NIH Idaho INBRE

Enlightening and Informative

The open-minded reader will definitely find Darwin Devolves to be an enlightening and informative look at a very controversial issue.

Donald F. Calbreath, PhD, Retired Professor of Chemistry, Whitworth College, in New York Journal of Books

If it doesn’t work there, it doesn’t work anywhere

Michael Behe, professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University, has been keeping committed Darwinists awake nights for years. His 1996 book Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution asked a long-ignored question: If Darwin’s theory explains everything so well, why hasn’t anyone shown how it works at the minutest level, biochemistry? If it doesn’t work there, it doesn’t work anywhere. ¶ Now Behe has released a new book, based on new science, showing once again that it doesn’t work there. Darwin Devolves: The New Science About DNA That Challenges Evolution is going to cause a lot more sleepless nights.

Tom Gilson, “Darwin Devolves: Another Huge Advance Against Darwinism and for Intelligent Design” at Evolution News

Responses to Criticism

With the release of Michael Behe’s Darwin Devolves, the scientific dialogue between its detractors and defenders continues. Here we collect some of the most noteworthy criticisms and responses by Michael Behe and others. Find the most comprehensive coverage and most recent responses of Darwin Devolves at Evolution News.

Re: Lents at Skeptic Magazine

Regarding “Behe’s Last Stand: The Lion of Intelligent Design Roars Again” by Nathan H. Lents at Skeptic Magazine, Volume 24, Number 1 (March 2019).

Re: Lang and Rice at Evolution

Regarding “Evolution unscathed: Darwin Devolves argues on weak reasoning that unguided evolution is a destructive force, incapable of innovation” by Gregory I. Lang and Amber M. Rice (March 13, 2019) at Evolution.

Re: Lenski at Telliamed Revisited

Regarding Richard Lenski’s series: 1. “Does Behe’s “First Rule” Really Show that Evolutionary Biology Has a Big Problem?” (February 15, 2019), 2. “On damaged genes and polar bears” (February 22, 2019), 3. “Is the LTEE breaking bad?” (February 26, 2019), 4. “Evolution goes viral! (And how real science works)” (March 6, 2019).

Re: Coyne at The Washington Post

Regarding Jerry Coyne’s “Intelligent design gets even dumber” at The Washington Post (March 8, 2019).

Re: Lents, Swamidass, and Lenski

Regarding “A biochemist’s crusade to overturn evolution misrepresents theory and ignores evidence” by Nathan H. Lents, S. Joshua Swamidass, and Richard E. Lenski in Science (February 7, 2019)

On Scientific Dialogue

Regarding “I Agree with Behe” by S. Joshua Swamidass at Peaceful Science (February 12, 2019)

Of the First Rule of Adaptive Evolution

Regarding “Does Behe’s ‘First Rule’ Really Show that Evolutionary Biology Has a Big Problem?” by Richard E. Lenski at Telliamed Revisited (February 15, 2019)

Of Chloroquine Resistance

Of Polar Bears

Regarding “Scientists scrutinize just two examples in Behe’s new book; find them deeply misleading” by Jerry Coyne (February 13, 2019) and “Darwin Devolves: Behe Gets Polar Bear Evolution Very Wrong” by Nathan H. Lents (February 12, 2019).