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Book Review of Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution

Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution
reviewed on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5


So you know where I stand, let me state that I'm a big supporter of the theory of evolution. It seems Behe has presented a serious challenge to Darwin's theory of evolution - after all, Darwin's Black Box is by no means an easy book to read, as it presents some very detailed explanations of biological processes.

The problem I have with the book, and Behe and others like him in general, is that it still all boils down to, "We can't figure out how it could have happened 'naturally', so it must have been designed." Behe takes what may be a lack of evidence as proof of a grand Designer, which is in and of itself bad science. This is basically a "God of the gaps" approach, which is no better scientifically than where we were hundreds of years ago when we thought Helios drove his golden chariot across the sky every day.

Having said all that, Behe at least presents a scientific basis for his arguments. It is difficult to say, from a real scientific standpoint, though, that he reaches his conclusion solidly. Many of his arguments have already been disputed with additional scientific findings since the book's publication...you can search for them on the internet and find them here and there.