Michael Behe on Thirty Years of Darwin’s Black Box
One of the seminal books of the modern intelligent design movement is Darwin’s Black Box, written by biochemist and professor Michael J. Behe. In 2026, that book turns 30. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid talks to Dr. Behe about the book’s impact and the staying power of its arguments.
Darwin’s Black Box was an intellectual bombshell when it came out in August of 1996. It was reviewed by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other major outlets. It was published by a major New York publishing house, The Free Press, then a division of Simon and Schuster. It was later included in a list of the 100 most influential books of the century by National Review. And it has gone on to sell over 300k copies.
In Part 1 of the conversation, Behe recalls when he decided to write the book and the encouragement he received from other ID thinkers at the time. He also discusses how new and cutting-edge the biochemical challenge to evolution was at the time. Back in the 1990s, scientists were just starting to discover that virtually all cellular processes were powered by molecular machines. Darwin’s Black Box introduced readers to the stunning complexity and design of that miniature world and why Darwin’s theory of evolution cannot account for life at the biochemical level.
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 next!
Dig Deeper
- Haven’t read Darwin’s Black Box? Order your copy at Dr. Behe’s website.
- MORE: Dr. Behe explains why Darwinism will eventually collapse.