What are the Limits of Darwinism? A Presentation by Dr. Michael Behe at the University of Toronto

On November 15th, 2012, Dr. Michael Behe gave a presentation at the University of Toronto to a stand only crowd. "How much of life does Darwin's theory explain? Most scientists believe it accounts for everything from the machinery of the cell to the history of life on earth. Darwin's proposed mechanism -- random mutation and natural selection -- has been accepted largely as a matter of faith and deduction or, at best, circumstantial evidence. Only now, thanks to genetics, does science allow us to seek direct evidence. The genomes of many organisms have been sequenced, and the machinery of the cell has been analyzed in great detail. The evolutionary responses of microorganisms to antibiotics and humans to parasitic infections have been traced over tens of thousands of generations. As a result, for the first time in history Darwin's theory can be rigorously evaluated. The results are shocking. Although it can explain marginal changes in evolutionary history, random mutation and natural selection explain very little of the basic machinery of life. The "edge" of evolution, a line that defines the border between random and nonrandom mutation, lies very far from where Darwin pointed. Behe argues convincingly that most of the mutations that have defined the history of life on earth have been nonrandom. Although it will be controversial and stunning, this finding actually fits a general pattern discovered by other branches of science in recent decades: The universe as a whole was fine-tuned for life. From physics to cosmology to chemistry to biology, life on earth stands revealed as depending upon an endless series of unlikely events. The clear conclusion: The universe was designed for life" [description from his recent book: "The Edge of Evolution" (Free Press, 2008)]. Dr. Michael Behe is the author of "Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution," which The Washington Times described as "A persuasive book." He has written, in addition to numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, editorial features in the Boston Review, American Spectator, and The New York Times.

On November 15th, 2012, Dr. Michael Behe gave a presentation at the University of Toronto to a stand only crowd.

“How much of life does Darwin‘s theory explain? Most scientists believe it accounts for everything from the machinery of the cell to the history of life on earth.

Darwin‘s proposed mechanism — random mutation and natural selection — has been accepted largely as a matter of faith and deduction or, at best, circumstantial evidence. Only now, thanks to genetics, does science allow us to seek direct evidence. The genomes of many organisms have been sequenced, and the machinery of the cell has been analyzed in great detail. The evolutionary responses of microorganisms to antibiotics and humans to parasitic infections have been traced over tens of thousands of generations.

As a result, for the first time in history Darwin’s theory can be rigorously evaluated. The results are shocking. Although it can explain marginal changes in evolutionary history, random mutation and natural selection explain very little of the basic machinery of life. The “edge” of evolution, a line that defines the border between random and nonrandom mutation, lies very far from where Darwin pointed. Behe argues convincingly that most of the mutations that have defined the history of life on earth have been nonrandom.

Although it will be controversial and stunning, this finding actually fits a general pattern discovered by other branches of science in recent decades: The universe as a whole was fine-tuned for life. From physics to cosmology to chemistry to biology, life on earth stands revealed as depending upon an endless series of unlikely events. The clear conclusion: The universe was designed for life” [description from his recent book: “The Edge of Evolution” (Free Press, 2008)].

Dr. Michael Behe is the author of “Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution,” which The Washington Times described as “A persuasive book.” He has written, in addition to numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, editorial features in the Boston Review, American Spectator, and The New York Times.