I concur with Michael Behe (257) on his argument that intelligent design must remain within the naturalistic view of natural science, given the reasons he provided that justify why the theory of Charles Darwin on natural selection is untenable in particular aspects relating to living organisms. This is not to say that, as Behe (265) has emphasized, that I adhere to such a viewpoint based on religious grounds, as my agreement is based on empirical grounds akin to the biochemical examples provided – the cilium and the flagellum (260-263). I find the view that the theory of natural selection, which presupposes the concept of evolution through gradual development in all components of living organisms, tenable because until now, it has failed to explain how irreducibly complex systems (Behe 260) have developed. There is an understanding that irreducibly complex systems in living organisms may not function without any of the components they are constituted of. The cilium, without microtubules and dynein, would result to its lack of sliding function and stiffness, respectively (Behe 261); the flagellum, without any of its protein components, would fail to spin in even half of its normal capacity (Behe 262). So far, current studies have failed to undertake narrower studies on the possibility of proving the theory of natural selection on intelligent designs, as scientists themselves have yet to produce findings stating how intelligent designs may have emerged gradually, or if it could ever evolve in such manner at all with their missing components (Behe 264). Therefore, I am of the strong opinion that the natural selection theory may not be able to explain how intelligent designs came about gradually with their separate components, as it is safe to assume the same way religious lines, but only through empirical studies, that intelligent designs, being irreducibly complex, may have emerged naturally the way they are.
Works Cited
Behe, Michael. "A Recent Intelligent Design Argument." The Philosophy of Religion Reader. Ed. Chad Meister. New York City, NY: Routledge, 2007. 256-265. Print.
