Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution

The power of Darwin’s Black Box rests in its persuasive and compelling argument against the explanation for the gradual development of life based on Darwinian evolution by natural selection. What the reader gets is a powerful, evidence-based, data-driven book that exposes Darwinian macroevolution as an archaic idea that lacks explanatory power and ultimately is scientifically bankrupt. Dr. Behe’s negative argument stands on its own, so even though he goes on to make a case for intelligent design, he never draws a conclusion of, “Therefore, it must be God.” Rather, after being educated on the falsity of Darwin’s theory, in the second part of the book the author makes an inference to the best explanation (design) while leaving the door open for science to make contributions in the future.As a biochemist, Dr. Behe clarifies that at a molecular level, life is not only astronomically complex but irreducibly complex, and thus any plausible explanation for life must have a clear and precise elucidation of how this complexity arose. Science triumphs because it provides an explanation for “How?” If something fails to clearly and specifically answer that question, then it fails to be scientific. (And no, exclusively critiquing alternatives will not suffice). Hence, Dr. Behe marvelously explains that (1) Darwin’s theory is deficient when it comes to explaining the “elegant complexity of molecular machinery,” (2) irreducible complexity forms an near-impregnable barrier to the notion that natural selection acts to facilitate evolution and (3) the more intensely we look at life (that is, at a molecular level, which is more scrupulous than biology) the harder life is to explain because of the appearance of design. The last point means that the more we discover about how life works (science) the demand placed on a Darwinian explanation astronomically increases.After laying the groundwork in Part I, each chapter in Part II of Darwin’s Black Box describes a unique system (e.g. the “cilium” or the swimming device that some cells use; the human blood-clotting cascade and the human immune system). Each chapter analyzes if the system could have developed in gradual Darwinian fashion. In addition there is a discussion about what the scientific community has said about the possible evolution of the system. Part III discusses why, in spite of evidence to the contrary, so many scientists invest in Darwin’s theory. There is also a discussion about intelligent design.The 10th Anniversary Edition is very helpful because in the “Afterword” Behe interacts with some of his most prominent critics in the decade after Darwin’s Black Box was published. Here, the author effectively counters a myriad of the objections evolutionists made to his work, particularly his discussion about irreducible complexity. The Appendix contains a brief summary of the biochemical principles involved in the operations of a cell.This book is tremendously well-written by an author who able to captivate his audience with language and analogies that whisks your biochemical imagination into shape. His use of comparison is so wonderfully executed that I wish I had Dr. Behe teaching me biochemistry in medical school. Even if you disagree with the author’s central thesis, what you are left with is a wonderful introduction to the beauty and wonder of life on a molecular scale.In the end, just because everyone believes something is true does not make it so. Consequently, in spite of a scientific consensus that evolution is true, Dr. Michael Behe is brave and courageous enough to ask, “Was Darwin wrong?” Darwin's Black Box is a soaring pillar of rational insight that shouts a resounding, “Yes!” with the proof to back it up.

This book makes an incredible case for intelligent design. Sadly, it is clear that many of the 1 star reviews have not actually read his book, as their criticisms do not at all relate to this book. This book is NOT a 7-day creationist/young earth/biblical literalist book. Behe does believe in evolution and the scientifically accepted age of the earth. In this book, he discusses the complexity of biochemistry, why natural selection can not work at the biochemical level, and the positive case for design. He goes into great technical detail about the biochemistry of body systems such as the blood clotting system and the immune system, and why it is not possible that these type of systems evolved via natural selection. He does not mention God or guess at who the designer is, as he says that is outside the realm of science and in the philosophical/religious domain. He goes into great detail explaining why the simplistic view of natural selections in systems such as eyesight made sense at one time, but why these explanations no longer make any sense with the discovery of DNA and the advent of the science of biochemistry. He discusses how the nearly complete lack of scientific articles supporting natural selection at the biochemical level and newer scientific theories proposing other mechanisms than natural selection as an explanation for systems such as the immune system or blood clotting system. (He also shows how the evidence shows that intelligent design is more likely, but scientifically admits that these other explanations can not be ruled out completely.) For the positive case for design, he discusses how other fields (such as archaeology) can scientifically determine if something was designed or natural (perhaps not in all cases, but in many cases without a shadow of a doubt) and how science can also look at the biochemistry of a cell in the same way, scientifically determining design or naturalstance. In an afterward written 10 years after the book, he discusses criticisms of his book--and sadly, most of these criticisms also seem to be from people who did not actually read his book.Bottom line, none of the critics have answered the main points he's made in this book. The one problem with this book, is that in spite of Behe's best attempts to teach biochemistry, this can be extremely hard to understand if someone has background in organic chemistry. I suspect many people without the appropriate background, could not slog through the text. This would explain why the 1 star reviews attack what non-scientist intelligent design proponents have said in the past, and not what was actually said in this book.

Before I throw my hat in the ring with this review, I must state that evolution makes complete sense to me at species level, but I do find it difficult at the molecular level. I was recommended the book by someone who is religious. I am not, nor am I an anti-theist and I regard that religious persuasion about the same as I regard all proselytizers and arrogant zealots. I am not actually a scientist either, but I have a good basic grasp of the underlying principles of experimental design and fundamental laws. I was very interested in biochemistry in my teens and would have loved to study it seriously, but my difficulties with the early Nuffield Modern Maths A level, led my teachers to change my courses to Modern Languages, Music, and English. This was a great shame, because Biology was my passion in school and future revisions of the Maths syllabus would probably have been fine for me. So, now I have nailed my tattered colours to the mast, here goes.This book is an excellent read that poses more questions than answers. It is not, as has been suggested, either anti-science or anti-evolution but challenges scientists to find a mechanism for evolution at the molecular level. How did natural selection operate before life even existed? This is a question that nobody has yet answered satisfactorily. The probabilities of it being purely accidental have such high odds that I find it hard to believe. It comes down to the way that complex organic compounds are inter-related. The author demonstrates that through several complex examples of life at the fundamental chemical level. He challenges scientists to provide experimental evidence. These challenges have largely gone unanswered, or at best only partially answered. Instead, the common response is simply to pedal out the old orthodoxy as though scientific method had never been thought of and to attack the author’s credentials - which proves nothing other than rudeness.The Theory of Evolution is just that, theory. It is not a Natural Law, and as astrophysicists and quantum physicists point out, even Natural Laws can have exceptions. So, where do we stand on the basis of this text. Firstly, there is no doubt that Natural Selection works on a species level. Its effects can be seen in operation. It is a great idea and contributes so much to the beauty and diversity of the world. Some people doubt that it works on the higher levels of taxonomy, though I am not one of them. I can grasp how a fish might evolve through challenging conditions, or new opportunity, into an amphibian, a reptile, a bird, a mammal, a primate, or eventually a human being. What is more, this all makes sense in the timescales that apply. On the cellular level, it makes sense that a single cell organism might incorporate another into its genetic structure to develop multi-cellular organisms and some might branch out to become plants, others to become animals. Bacteria make sense. Viruses are an enigma. What doesn’t make sense is life itself. What comes first, the protein or the instruction to make it. In chemistry so complex, how can these things be achieved by sheer chance in a primordial soup when optimal laboratory conditions, very clever men and powerful computers cannot yet achieve the same.So, in short, I refuse to go down either fork in the road that other readers may have chosen, namely, Route A (belief in God, not Science) or Route B (belief in Science, not God). Read the book for yourself and see what you think. The questions may not be answered during my lifetime, but they are certainly worth asking and pursuing with rigorous scientific method and an open mind. Go for it! I know I found it both challenging and fascinating.

As advertised, no problems, all ok

Good book. Quality of paper somewhat not good. But content is good.Excellent book. One should reconsider their views on evolution. Instead of accusing him as psedo we must face the challenges from biochemistry. I have been studying about evolution but none of any book gave detailed step by step by description of animal came from common ancestor. Anatomical similarality doesn't havr 100% 0roof for evolution

No christian will ever believe that our existence is the product of random. Thus, to unite science and faith we need scientists like for instant Michael J. Behe and others who try to investigate how God is included in scientific researches. Well done Mr. Behe. Go on like that. Keep standing on your ground, forever. With best wishes to you and your work. Yours, André

Very thorough and conclusive