American Thought Leaders Why Some Scientists Are Rethinking Darwin’s Theory of Evolution | Stephen Meyer
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Apr 18, 2026 
Stephen Meyer, philosopher of science and proponent of intelligent design, argues that random mutation plus natural selection explains small changes but not the origin of new body plans or molecular machines. He discusses limits of neo-Darwinism, information in DNA, developmental gene networks, irreducible complexity, and cosmic fine-tuning. A new film frames these topics visually and provocatively.
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Natural Selection Has Limited Creative Power
- Natural selection explains small-scale adaptation but lacks the creative power to produce major new body plans or organs.
- Meyer cites classic examples (peppered moths, finch beaks, antibiotic resistance) as limited cases versus abrupt morphological innovation.
Random Mutations Tend To Degrade Protein Function
- Building novel protein folds by random mutation tends to degrade existing function long before producing new, stable folds.
- Meyer compares DNA code changes to altering computer zeros and ones: small changes often break function; vast changes are needed for new folds.
Molecular Machines Pose A Darwinian Problem
- Many cellular machines (flagellum, ATP synthase) are multi-part systems where partial assemblies give no selectable function.
- Meyer argues natural selection cannot preserve nonfunctional intermediates, so stepwise assembly stalls.
