IntelligentDesign.org
Title
intelligentdesign.org
Description
The flagellum is quite literally an outboard motor that some bacteria use to swim. It is a rotary device that, like a motorboat, turns a propeller to push against liquid, moving the bacterium forward in the process. It consists of a number of parts, including a long tail that acts as a propeller, the hook region, which attaches the propeller to the drive shaft, the motor, which uses a flow of acid from the outside of the bacterium to the inside to power the turning, a stator, which keeps the structure stationary in the plane of the membrane while the propeller turns, and bushing material to allow the drive shaft to poke up through the bacterial membrane. In the absence of the hook, or the motor, or the propeller, or the drive shaft, or most of the forty different types of proteins that genetic studies have shown to be necessary for the activity or construction of the flagellum, one does not get a flagellum that spins half as fast as it used to, or a quarter as fast. Either the flagellum does not work, or it does not even get constructed in the cell. Like a mousetrap, the flagellum is irreducibly complex. And again like the mousetrap, its evolutionary development by "numerous, successive, slight modifications" is quite difficult to envision. In fact, if one examines the scientific literature, one quickly sees that no one has ever proposed a serious, detailed model for how the flagellum might have arisen in a Darwinian manner, let alone conducted experiments to test such a model. Thus in a flagellum we seem to have a serious candidate to meet Darwin's criterion. We have a system that seems very unlikely to have been produced by "numerous, successive, slight modifications". (Answering Scientific Criticisms of Intelligent Design, From the Proceedings of the Wethersfield Institute, Vol 9, Michael Behe, pg. 134)
Behe vs Darwin
Behe's ultimate challenge, irreducible complexity, to Darwin's gradualism, has been unsuccessfully met by neo-Darwinists. As the opening graphic points out, Darwinism's claim of gradualism (the walking fish) is swallowed up by Behe's claim of irreducible complexity (the bacterial flagellum). This site is a tribute to that fact. And while Behe is a central focus of this site, many other aspects of intelligent design are discussed as well. In addition to irreducible complexity, we also discuss both integrated complexity and specified complexity. We also touch on topics which are mainstream creationist in their focus, topics such as geology and the fossil record. Hopefully you'll find something which interests you here, if not, try our "What's New" section for links to other material.
If you have some criticisms or perhaps some compliments feel free to visit our forum and post them. Thanks for visiting................Cre8ionist
Languages
English
Contact
- Discovery Institute
-

- Seattle WA
- US 98101
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- +1.5555555555
Additional Information
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External Links
- Alexa: IntelligentDesign.org


