American - Scientist | January 18, 1952 -
By irreducibly complex I mean a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning.
Michael Behe
MeanSingleSystemComplexFunction
In Darwin's time all of biology was a black box: not only the cell, or the eye, or digestion, or immunity, but every biological structure and function because, ultimately, no one could explain how biological processes occurred.
TimeEyeBlackBiologyExplainBox
In order to say that some function is understood, every relevant step in the process must be elucidated.
StepProcessSayOrderUnderstood
In the 19th century the anatomy of the eye was known in great detail and the sophisticated mechanisms it employs to deliver an accurate picture of the outside world astounded everyone who was familiar with them.
GreatDetailWorldEyePicture
It is a shock to us in the twentieth century to discover, from observations science has made, that the fundamental mechanisms of life cannot be ascribed to natural selection, and therefore were designed. But we must deal with our shock as best we can and go on.
LifeScienceBestGoNaturalUs
It is often said that science must avoid any conclusions which smack of the supernatural.
ScienceSaidConclusionsMustAvoid
It was a shock to people of the nineteenth century when they discovered, from observations science had made, that many features of the biological world could be ascribed to the elegant principle of natural selection.
SciencePeopleWorldElegantNatural
Science is not a game in which arbitrary rules are used to decide what explanations are to be permitted.
ScienceGameRulesDecideUsed
Since natural selection requires a function to select, an irreducibly complex biological system, if there is such a thing, would have to arise as an integrated unit for natural selection to have anything to act on.
AnythingSystemActComplexNatural
Skin is made in large measure of a protein called collagen.
MeasureSkinProteinMadeLarge
The point here is that physics followed the data where it seemed to lead, even though some thought the model gave aid and comfort to religion.
ReligionThoughtDataPhysicsLead
The question of how the eye works - that is, what happens when a photon of light first impinges on the retina - simply could not be answered at that time.
TimeLightEyeQuestionFirstHow
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