About this title: Ten years ago, "Darwin's Black Box" launched the Intelligent Design movement: the argument that nature exhibits evidence of design, beyond Darwinian randomness. Today, the movement is stronger than ever, and the book is a classic and an international bestseller. At last, Michael Behe has updated the book with a major new afterword on the state of the debate. The Intelligent Design movement was born when a handful of scientists realized that nature exhibits characteristics that could not have evolved by random mutation. Prominent among them was Michael Behe, a microbiologist working in a field ...
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780684827544ISBN:0684827549
Description: Good. DJ is missing. Light soiling on sides of book. Slight edge wear. on a couple of pages. Otherwise, in like new condition. No evidence of previous use. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780684827544ISBN:0684827549
Description: Acceptable. A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (the dust cover may be missing). Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. read more
Description: Very good. Dust Cover Missing. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: New. 0684834936 Brand NEW Softcover ~ Tight & Bright, ~ We would ship within 24 Hours, reply to customer emails ASAP, accept returns and offer 100% satisfaction guarantee! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: A Touchstone Book Published By Simon & Schuster, New York, N.Y.
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780684827544ISBN:0684827549
Description: Near Fine. No Jacket. Softcover book, 307 pages, with some black and white illustrations. The covers are near fine with light shelfwear, including a light bend on the back; light page darkening in the margins; overall the contents are clean and in near fine condition. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press, New York
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780684827544ISBN:0684827549
Description: Very Good in Very Good- jacket. 0684827549 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall The dust jacket has edge wear and is lightly rubbed and the dust jacket is in a Mylar type protector. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Free Press, Old Tappan, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780684834931ISBN:0684834936
Description: Very Good. 8vo-over 7"-9" tall. 307pp. Trade Paperback. Some rubbing on top and bottom of spine. Edgewear to front and back cover. Slight wear to corners. No creasing on spine. Some underlining in first two chapters. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press
Date Published: 1996-08-02
ISBN-13:9780684827544ISBN:0684827549
Description: Like New. Excellent hardcover copy! No names, no marks, no stickers. Appears unopened and unread. Careful packaging and fast shipping. We recommend EXPEDITED MAIL for even faster delivery! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: FREE PRESS., Old Tappan, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780684827544ISBN:0684827549
Description: Good in Good jacket. Hard cover in good condition, dust jacket is in good condition. The spine has a very slight slant, pages are clean, [Satisfaction Guaranteed! ]. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press; Simon & Schuster, New York
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780684827544ISBN:0684827549
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. xii, 307 pp., illus., bib. notes, index; 25 cm. Tight, clean copy. Dust jacket protected in a mylar book cover. "Virtually all serious scientists accept the truth of Darwin's theory of evolution. While the fight for its acceptance has been a long and difficult one, after a century of struggle among the cognoscenti the battle is over. Biologists are now confident that their remaining questions, such as how life on Earth began, or how the Cambrian ... read more
"This was a good read, from a biochemist who is also a captivating writer. This book is worth reading for anyone who is interested in one or more of the following topics: the philosophy of science, darwinism, science vs. religion, intelligent design theory, or philosophical theology."
"In this book Behe makes the argument that on a micro-biological scale there is evidence that life was designed and could not have evolved via small successive changes over long periods of time, as Darwin suggests. He suggests that, at a chemical level, the processes are too complex and interdependent and therefore could not have evolved. A few of the examples given are the chemical reactions in the eye that occur to transmit data through the optic nerve, the system of transporting proteins throughout the eukaryotic cell, the chemical process involved in blood clotting, and the chemical process that is required to make just one of the nucleic acids that is used to make DNA.
Obviously there are counter arguments against the theory of irreducible complexity. Take the eye, for example. Because there are many varying degrees of eye complexity found out there then be argued that complex eyes have evolved from simpler eyes. Behe does not try to refute these arguments because he is not against certain aspects of the evolutionary theory. The problem is that the arguments for the evolution of the eye, and that of the other examples he gives in the book, always start with functioning chemical processes that are already in place. What he is concerned with in the eye, at any level of complexity, is how rhodopsin came to be able detect light in the first place and how an ensuing interdependent chain reaction of chemicals could have evolved. The same line of thinking is applied to all the other examples he gives throughout the book. The arguments for the evolution of any sort of complex system always start with functioning chemical processes, and its origin is essentially glossed over with rhetoric. For example, Richard Dawkins, describes the origin of the eukaryotic cell as being more momentous, difficult, and statistically improbable than the origin of life which is itself an extremely improbable event, many orders of magnitude more improbable than we think. So, how did it happen? With a stroke of luck. Which I think is exactly Behe's point. These processes are so extremely difficult and complicated that it would take an immeasurable amount of luck and is more rationally explained by the idea that maybe they were designed."
"This is the book that gave the intelligent design movement its life. Behe's classic argument is that at the biochemical level of the cell, scientists are discovering that the machinery of life is incomprehensibly more complex than Darwin could have ever imagined. By looking at the various structures in biological life, Behe argues that some of the structures show signs of design.
His argument centers around the notion that these biological structures are "irreducibly complex." By this he means that some complex structure works to achieve a particular function (say, motion), and that if you remove just one part out of the system the function would no longer be achieved. He then argues that evolution by random mutation and natural selection cannot account for these structures arising randomly, all at once, so he challenges evolutionary biologists to provide a plausible evolutionary route for these structures. He argues that no plausible explanation can even be had with irreducibly complex structures, which leads him to infer that intelligent design is the best explanation.
Behe's argument has been criticized by a number of scientists and philosophers in the years since it was published, but he still maintains that the argument stands. I would not recommend this book to just anybody, but if you are interested in either the arguments for intelligent design or in the biochemical basis of life, you might give it a try."
"Here's why I liked this book: When I was a student of human biology and genetics, I noticed that my professors were always talking about the body anthropomorphically. "The cell, knowing it's low on sodium, picks it up from the blood stream." Okay, two problems with this explanation. One, cells don't "know" things because cells don't have minds and they are not rational. Second problem, nobody liked to go into detail about _exactly_ how the cell takes in the sodium. I guess maybe they didn't have time to talk about that, but I sort of started to like chemistry a little more than biology because there was less vague talk like this. THEN I read Darwin's Black Box. The basic argument of the book is that if you look at life at the level of biochemistry you'll find an irreducible complexity that defies the theory of naturalistic evolution. Great idea, Behe. But here's what I realized: Biochemistry was really the answer to all my unanswered questions in biology. How does the cell take in sodium? Well, it's a chemical process with proteins abounding and enzymes on the scene and all of that. And why were my professors always using verbs like "sensing," "seeing," "wanting," and "knowing" when talking about the body? It's because they don't actually KNOW why these processes work the way they do. That's what biochemistry taught me, and I learned it in this book."
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