irreducible complexity

English

Etymology

Coined by Michael Behe in his 1996 book Darwin's Black Box.

Noun

irreducible complexity (uncountable)

1. (biology, pseudoscience) The proposition that complex organs such as eyes and flagella must have started existing in their current form; i.e., that they cannot have evolved from previous, less complex stages.

Related terms

• irreducibly complex

See also

• evolution
• creationism
• natural selection