Ethan D. Simpson
Dr. LuAnn Marrs
English 101
Intelligent Discussion on Intelligent Design
When we are young, we have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Asking questions, we discover how many things we see as simple are actually extremely complex. "What makes the sky blue," we ask, not knowing that the answer is so complex that scientists only discovered it within the last hundred years. "How does a watch work," we wonder, not realizing that there can be literally hundreds of diminutive cogs and gears moving with intricacy and delicate balance.
The same seeming simplicity can also be found in nature. If, for instance, you take out one of the 50 necessary proteins of bacterial flagellum, which provide locomotion for cells, it will simply cease to work. Yet it takes many flagella to make one cell move. Seeing this, biological chemist Dr. Michael Behe of Lehigh University has developed a the theory of irreducible complexity. Irreducible complexity is a theory which states that some things found in nature, such as flagella and the eye, are so complex that they could not possibly have evolved. These irreducibly complex things must then have been created.
The term Intelligent Design was first popularized in 1996 in Behe's book Darwin's Black Box. In it, Behe began to discuss the concept of irreducible complexity. To explain his concept, he said, "By irreducibly complex I mean 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." As you read, Behe believes that there are things which, if tinkered with at all will completely cease work.
Dr. Behe believes that this is conclusive evidence for their being a creative figure responsible for all life. This can mean God, as he believes, but there are other theories made by proponents of Intelligent Design. Some believe extra-terrestrials created life on earth, but that...