Behe

Question 0

Irreducibly complex examples:

Answer 0

Mousetrap, clotting protein cascade, eukaryotic cilium, bacterial flagellum

Question 1

Behe’s ID hypothesis:

Answer 1

The components of life are irreducibly complex

Question 2

Behe’s 2 points

Answer 2

ID isn’t incompatible with evolution, or even not-Darwinian selection

Question 3

Draws from Franklin Harold

Answer 3

“Selection fails to explain biochemical complexity, and ID points strongly to supernatural”. Well, any explanation of life has such philosophical or theological implications, says Behe

Question 4

Issue of biological redundancy to Behe:

Answer 4

Redundancy in proteins only delay irreducibility, because they’re still essential

Question 5

Behe counters Miller

Answer 5

Miller=each bit of a mousetrap has an independent use eg paperweight
Behe=then there’s no mousetrap. The spring may be reducible, but the trap system is not.

Question 6

Blood-clotting cascade

Answer 6

20 discrete protein parts, to control timing, placement, and formation of clot. Each protein is controlled by another, so without any one the entire process would fail (irreducible)

Question 7

Doolittle on clotting and Behe’s reply

Answer 7

D: if mice without two proteins for clotting are bred then they = normal mice
B: misread. Really 2 gene mice have same problems as 1 gene missing. Conclusion that gene duplication is not a panacea

Question 8

McDonald on mousetraps:

Answer 8

McD: didn’t need so many parts. It’s intermediate with some ingenuity.
B: McD’s predecessors are conceptual, not physical. Cells don’t have the protein commands to configure the “trap” that way.

Question 9

Behe on complexity as a sign of ID

Answer 9

In 1950, cell was simple. Now complexity increases dt. 50% proteins work in groups of more than five.