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Irreducible Complexity
Under Construction
| In the last several years, the intelligent design movement has attempted to move against science education standards for the teaching of evolution. The principal claim made by adherents of this view is that they can detect the presence of "intelligent design" in complex biological systems, that it could not possibly have been produced by an evolutionary pathway. As evidence, they cite a number of specific examples, including the vertebrate blood clotting cascade, the eukaryotic cilium, and most notably, the eubacterial flagellum Behe 1996a, Behe 2002). Behe calls the eubacterial flagellum, "Irreducibly Complex". Of all these examples, the flagellum has been presented so often as a counter-example to evolution that it might well be considered the "poster child" of the modern anti-evolution movement.
An irreducibly complex structure is defined as ". . . a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning." (Behe 1996a, 39)
Articles:
Books:
The Edge of Evolution, Michael J. Behe, 2006
Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul, Kenneth R. Miller, 2008, Return to Religion or Evolution. |