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Book Review of the Edge of Evolution: the Search for the Limits of Darwinism by Michael J

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Book Review of the Edge of Evolution: the Search for the Limits of Darwinism by Michael J Journal of Psychology and Clinical Psychiatry Book Review of the Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism by Michael J. Behe, Free Press, New York, 2007, 320 pages. By Samuel A. Nigro, M.D., August 6, 2007 Few books will be found as informative as this one. It enables new insights by its lucid presentation of common types of Perspective mutational change and provides a reasonable extrapolation of what this means for Darwinian evolutionary speculations. Volume 6 Issue 6 - 2017 By a study of the development of malaria organisms, malaria Dr. Samuel A Nigro M.D* drug treatment, malarial resistance to drugs, sickle cell anemia Retired, Assistant Clinical Professor Psychiatry, Case Western and thalassemia in humans, simple Darwinian mechanisms Reserve University School of Medicine, USA *Corresponding author: Dr. Samuel A Nigro M.D, Retired, be limited to a low random mutation rate never achievable by Assistant Clinical Professor Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve organismsappear confirmed. more complex However, than the P. development falciparum with is documented its ability to reproduce millions of times faster than humans. The odds for a University School of Medicine, 2517 Guilford Road, Cleveland mutation for chloroquine drug resistance in malaria organisms Heights, Ohio 44118, USA, Tel: 216 932-0575; Email: th Received: | Published: power),” a number readily reached by microbes with populations ofwas trillions. calculated to be “one in a hundred billion billion (10 to 20 June 20, 2016 February 06, 2017 On the average, for humans to achieve a mutation like this by chance, we would need to wait a hundred million times ten million years. Since that is many times the The bottom line: Despite huge population numbers age of the universe, it’s reasonable to conclude the and intense selective pressure, microbes as disparate following: No mutation that is of the same complexity as malaria and HIV yield similar, minor, evolutionary as chloroquine resistance in malaria arose by Darwinian responses. Darwinists have loudly celebrated studies evolution in the line leading to humans in the past ten million years....Strict Darwinism requires a person to believe that mammalian evolution could occur without changed.of finch beaks, But showinghere we modest have changesgenetic instudies the shapes over any mutation of the complexity of this one (page 61). thousandsand sizes of upon beaks thousands over time, asof thegenerations, finches food of suppliestrillions upon trillions of organisms and little of biochemical Behe also points out that this mutation was not very complex but simple compared to what nature would require for mutations more complicated than hemoglobin, chloroquine resistance and Randomsignificance mutations to show and fornatural it (page selection 140). just are not going P. falciparum. Basically, the numbers of individuals and of years to prove major species changing evolution nor does the of time required for known mutations to occur in nature of unicellular creatures made up of DNA like us, preclude such in Complicated creatures are not to be forthcoming from mutations multicellular creatures whose population numbers are dwarfed andcosmetic natural beak selection adjustments when of finchesthere isadapting no evidence to food changes.of even by unicellulars and whose protein DNA dependent mechanisms are incredibly more complicated than in unicellulars. creatures living in a realistic actual long evolutionary time frame. Theelementary Darwin complexificationevolutionary total in theory relatively fails uncomplicatedat the molecular simple level The author admits to believing in “common descent” but and at the human level (Read David Stove’s Darwinian Fairytales). rejects Darwinism as “tinkering” with neither the coherence nor the preordained steps necessary to overcome the “irreducible complexity” of the development of life. For higher animals, the as regulatory genes and molecules are teased by events affecting creation of thousands of protein chains in and out of cells into microorganismsThis is not to sayor by that intense significant interbreeding, changes cannot for example, be recognized of dogs overwhelmingly impossible in comparison to the two amino acid disturbancesother specific studied functioning in the malariaand other organisms reproducing supra. creatures is breedsthrough of thousands dog) is still of a generationsdog genetically over identical 130,000 to years...but the gray wolf. the Theseorganism changes is still do the not same deserve organism the labeland the“natural dog (any selection” of the 150(an Behe then goes to HIV with nine genes compared to genes in the thousands in malaria and a mutation rate ten thousand times greater than malaria. And nothing major in the developmental underinflated the sacred appropriate phrase naturalto Darwinists) situations but whether “natural randomadjustments” or by sense happens: no new protein-protein interactions, no better design.by feedback Whatever in dynamic happens systems in the capable changes of natural we can modifications observe are molecular machines, no ascendancy, nothing in spite of huge always species limited and can only wishfully be thought of as population sizes in fairly simple creatures. “evolutionary” evidence for the creation of other or new species. Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com J Psychol Clin Psychiatry 2017, 6(6): 00400 Copyright: Book Review of the Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism ©2017 Nigro 2/2 acids the better. But each creature can only play its own same the discovery of master regulatory molecules which control the developmentThe author’s of acceptanceanalogous bodyof “common systems descent” of supposedly is clarified totally by unrelated organisms (Behe points out, for example, the Hox canspecies be altered specific by and other species hands defining playing “flop”the same to use amino a poker acid game.term. The creaturecreature’s can hand only can play change the flop consistent it has been with dealt, stimuli but affectingits hand thisproteins part ofof thethe fruitbook, fly my have insight a human was thatcounterpart “Behe is for wrong analogous about creatures may even use each other’s amino acids, but that does “commonsections of descent,” the human because embryo “common (page 180-181)). design” is Whenmore likeI read it! it, but its basic-being-defining flop never does. Different And, furthermore, evolution is not “descent,” but “ascent!” What has a thinking soul with consciousness-of-consciousness, it can is most important and obvious is that all creatures share the not mean identity or significant relationship. And if the being is hard to prove). transition into transcendental fire with eternal existence (But that same molecular fire however manifest, but that does not mean Behe lays the basis for the “common design” of life now we are related in any significant sense. Breathing air or using water means no more of a significant developmental relationship war, a fact obvious to humans who recognize that entropy (sin readily seen as a symphony rather than a “survival of the fittest” than using amino acids. Humans share 99% of human DNA with and suffering) is a real accompaniment of the consciousness- of-consciousness (C squared) spiritual transcendental level bacteria.some chimpanzees; None of that 74% means with “common the domestic descent,” dog but and that gray there wolf; is of human existence which goes beyond biology. The plain old a40% common with the design banana and and that some the common 200 genes creatures are in ofcommon life are withwell humdrum truth is that Darwinism sounds good, but it has not blocks. Darwin confused “similarity” for “transitioned” or ignored, and it denies itself when it refuses to look beyond man as “related”organized when in distinct the only specificity real linkage while between using differentthe same creatures building anbeen evolutionary scientifically creature demonstrated, advancing the to anotherimprobabilities level. cannot be is the use of the same building blocks of life. Anything more complicated than that is just a nice sweet fashionable Darwin See, I told you this book was stimulating. The Edge of bogus hype snobbery theophobia story. Evolution is very informative, challenging, convincing and thought provoking. In fact, I cannot get “common design” out of my mind, For me, a card game analogy helps: Instead of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, the game of life is played with amino acids Creator to create coherently by forming matter in truth, oneness, (primarily left-handed ones at that, a mind boggling fact) and goodbecause and it beautyclarifies and the unityin the of transcendental the life process freedom appropriate to know, for a the game is called “Being.” All beings get an amino acid “hand” love and serve Him once it reaches a level of consciousness of to play in material existence, and, in general, the more amino consciousness enabling a chosen final personal spiritual evolving. Citation: Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism. J Psychol Clin Psychiatry Nigro SA (2017) Book Review of the 6(6): 00400. DOI: 10.15406/jpcpy.2017.06.00400.
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