Darwin Devolves: ENDGAME

"I figured it out, by the way." -Tony Stark

Chris Rock had a stand up international tour gig several years ago (before Obama became president). I think it was an HBO special. Anyway, it was hilarious. He made fun, of course, of then presidential candidate John McCain because, well, he was not black. Lol. Obviously, his favorite was Obama. But his reasoning for choosing Obama,  was not a joke. He was boringly serious: He said, "Obama is not only black, he's black and qualified" (emphasis mine). 

And that's why Dr. Michael Behe is a Darwinist' nightmare. He's a scientist-- a qualified biochemist and a genius.

He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. Behe’s current research involves delineation of design and natural selection in protein structures.

Behe's first anti darwinian evolution book was called Darwin's Black Box. After a few years, part 2, was the Edge of Evolution. And Darwin Devolves, apparently, unintentionally, completed the trilogy. 

The paperback version was just released this February. And just like how the Avengers killed Thanos in Endgame using the 6 infinity stones, Behe murdered Darwinism via this third book. 

There were some attempts of some people to effectively cripple evolution theory but those arguments seemed to be feeble or lacking. But just like Tony Stark, Michael Behe figured it out. 

POWER 

Iron man/Tony Stark figured out a way to travel the quantum realm which was a key in defeating the monster Thanos. 

For Darwinian evolution, Biochemistry is the key. 

Richard Dawkins, famous Darwin apologist is a biologist. It is understandable that his knowledge of biochemistry is not that grand. Just like a Pediatrician would not have that extensive knowledge on how to treat elderly cancer patients, Dawkins would not have that broad Biochemistry education. That's probably a reason why I think he wouldn't appreciate what I'd like to call BBB (Behe's Beautiful Biochemistry). 

BBB in Darwin Devolves is outstanding. Strikingly gorgeous. If there were flaws in Darwin's Black Box or in his 2nd book, all of them seemed to have vanished in Part 3. With DNA evidence, incredible logic, armed with decades of research, he was able to deliver a powerful coup de grace to Darwinian theory. 

TIME

Behe was on the side of angels. And apparently, time was on the side of Behe. Black box was published in 1996. DNA sequencing data was not that abundant as it is now. In this 3rd book, Behe was convincingly able to show via the DNA information that there is a huge error in the Darwinian evolutionary mechanism and that devolution is the reality that we now need to accept. 

REALITY

Numerous examples on how Darwinian evolution would not make sense and how it would not work were provided in the book and I don't want to spoil them. But I'll give you one. 

Spoiler alert!

In a young planthopper's legs, there are miniscule gears. These toothed gears are very similar to what you'd see inside drills or inside the Big Ben in UK. This was discovered by a couple of scientists just a few years ago. 

I was so impressed and in awe of this biological feature that I blurted out this pseudo-plagiarized poem on twitter:

I think that I shall never hear

A poem great as a hopper's gear

Gears whose hungry teeth mesh

Against each other as it press

A planthopper looks at God all day

And lifts its legs and jumps and say:

My body easily breaks and tear

But only God can make my gear

Interesting enough, I did get a response from an atheist that tweeted:

"Silly theists.  Science is for scientists." 

That's it. I was actually disappointed. I was hoping for a more negative, more retaliatory reply with multiple links as evidence but all I got was a shallow, puny tweet.

MIND

There's a section in Darwin Devolves entitled "The mind" that deals with the origin of life. It also discusses different perspectives of scientists. And some of those perspectives are, sadly, idiotic. 

One of those ideas comes from Dr. Eugene Koonin.

Eugene V. Koonin is the leader of the Evolutionary Genomics Group at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).  He received his PhD in Molecular Biology in 1983 from the Moscow State University. He seems to be smart. OK, he is intelligent. But there is a difference between intelligence and rationality. Smart people can still do stupid things. And unfortunately for Dr. Koonin, one of his stupid mistakes is promoting a multiverse as a possibility to defend the existence of evolution.

Yes, a multiverse. A comic book multiverse. Seriously.

This reminded me of a tweet from the popular satire account, the Babylon bee (Feb 6, 2020):

Atheist Accepts Multiverse Theory Of Every Possible Universe Except Biblical One

Dr. Behe did not relent in reminding the reader of the existence of Eugene Koonin in every chance he gets. His attacks on Koonin were just too good. Behe should try being a stand up comic like Chris Rock. His jokes on Koonin were simply the best.

SPACE

Of course, in Darwin Devoles, Behe quoted the classic Watchmaker argument of Paley. He admitted its little flaws and he also mentioned Dawkin's counter-- the blind watchmaker (an oxymoron). The main points of Paley's Watchmaker argument, for me, are still valid. Dawkin's rebuttal seemed to me, to borrow Alvin Platinga: "is not much of an argument".

Anyway, I have tweaked Paley's and came up with this:

In crossing a heath, suppose I pitched my foot against a stone, and were asked how the stone came to be there, I might possibly answer, that, for anything I knew to the contrary, it had lain there forever: nor would it perhaps be very easy to show the stupidity of this answer. But suppose I had found worn out gears upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the gears happened to be in that place; I should hardly think of the answer I had before given, that for anything I knew, the gears might have always been there...  

But supposed again I had found a young planthopper on the ground, and it should be inquired how similar gears happened to be in its legs; I should hardly think of the answer I had before given, that for anything I knew, the gears might have always been there... There must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, a maker, who formed the gears for the purpose which we find it actually to answer,; who comprehended its construction, and desined its use... Every indication of contrivance, every manifestation of design, which existed in the gears of the planthopper, exists in the works of man: in cars, in submarines, in watches. with the difference on the side of man, of being lesser in degree.

My fascination with these natural gears is, I hope, understandable. The scientists who discovered them I believe had that same feeling. Behe too appreciated this.

Imagine that, gears! And what's more interesting is that those gears are only present in young planthoppers because they need them to jump from one space to another, just like a wind up toy car needs gears so it can move. However, when they become mature, the gears are lost because the hoppers can now jump on their own.


SOUL

Another amazing thing about this book, besides BBB, is that Behe was able to bravely point out an obvious truth like that kid in the Emperor's New Clothes story,  who said, "But he doesn't have anything on!"

The Darwinian Theory is faulty. Evolution theory is full of loopholes, vagueness and Behe is just an honest kid who just sees the nakedness and idiocy of the darwinian mechanism.

Closing Credits

Just like in any good Marvel movie, there is a closing credit scene. This book has an appendix. Don't forget to read that part too! There's a Dr. Dolittle (real person) story that you will like.