Michael Behe

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Michael Behe is an American biochemist and a prominent advocate of intelligent design, a view that argues some biological features are best explained by a purposeful designer rather than by natural processes alone.

Biography
Behe was born in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the state. He earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Drexel University and a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. He did postdoctoral work at the National Institutes of Health, taught at Queens College, and since 1985 has been a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University. He is also a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, an organization that promotes intelligent design.

Irreducible complexity and intelligent design
Behe is best known for the idea of irreducible complexity, which he argues describes biological systems that could not have evolved through small, gradual steps. He says these systems imply intelligent design. He has written books and given talks to promote these ideas and has testified in court cases about intelligent design.

Court cases and scientific reception
Behe testified in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, a 2005 case about whether intelligent design should be taught in public schools. The court ruled that intelligent design is not science. The scientific community broadly rejects irreducible complexity as an explanation for evolution and notes that evolution can and has produced complex systems.

Academic position
Lehigh University’s biology department has repeatedly stated that Behe’s views on evolution are not endorsed by the department. Behe has said that his ideas are his own and not official university positions.

Books and criticism
Behe has written several influential books, including Darwin's Black Box (1996), The Edge of Evolution (2007), and Darwin Devolves (2019). Critics from major scientific outlets have challenged his arguments, saying that evolutionary science can explain complex features without invoking a designer and that Behe’s claims misrepresent or ignore key evidence.

Personal life
Behe is Catholic, married to Celeste Behe, and they have nine children who were homeschooled.

In short, Behe is a well-known advocate of intelligent design whose main claim is that some biological systems are too complex to arise by evolution alone. The vast majority of scientists disagree with him, and his views are not considered scientific by the broader scientific community.