The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism
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Tags:
- Started reading:
- April 18, 2008
- Finished reading:
- May 28, 2008
Review
Rating: 8
Behe is an excellent writer and this book does not disappoint. He is able to boil down complex subjects into easily understandable concepts. To his credit, he makes the complexity available to the reader so he can decide whether the chosen metaphor is apt. My personal opinion is that they were. He uses his previous book, “Darwin’s Black Box”, as a launching point to say that the research in the intervening years has only proved his point more.
He separates Darwinism into two major theories: Common descent and evolution by random mutation and time. He is accepts the common descent argument, but makes a convincing case that random mutation does not provide the kind of changes that will evolve into new systems or body types. Most mutation is destructive and may provide a method of survival, but only in the sense of burning a bridge to prevent an invader (a metaphor he uses to effect frequently).
By the end of the book, I felt convinced and equipped to make the argument that random mutation is a very weak force in evolution. It can account for changes in individuals and maybe between species of the same genus, but no more than that.
However, he seems to miss the obvious point. If it’s provable that there was an intelligent designer involved at some point in the process, why isn’t it just as likely that all creatures were created separately with similar biochemical structures? Wouldn’t a talented designer reuse good design patterns?
All in all, a strong refutation of the sufficiency of random mutation as the only factor in biological differentiation.
