Behe's Irreducible Complexity Is Refuted

Friction isn't a part? But then why do I have to drill down to some arbitrary lower level? Why can't I stay above the biochemical level. It is to understand the more detailed workings isn't it. And friction is a part in the sense that it is the atomic parts and their interaction. I can't understand the failure of my mousetrap without understanding it at that lower level. Why? It doesn't matter does it? We are discussing biological systems.However:
How Can Evolution Cause Irreducibly Complex Systems? Then I guess we have to go for some examples of things which clearly are and are not and some nearer the border to see if I can discern just what is and isn't IC.As noted above it turns out the mousetrap isn't. Somehow Behe's examples keep failing when examined more closely.

Ok, I see now. It seems it is clear just what the IC system being discussed (in the case of the cilium) actually is. Of course, as we get down to a simpler and simpler core we do end up with a system that just perhaps can arise in a single step.Or, more likely, we now have a simple 3 part system of which one or two of them might be useful for another purpose without the others. It seems that as Behe squeezes this particular example down it gets more "evolvable", doesn't it?

No, I'm not being silly. It seems this is the same drilling down that Behe wants to do to get to purely biochemical bilogical systems. I don't see the difference. The point is that a system can be examined at a number of levels of abstraction. Behe (as you quote him) seems to be jumping around with no visible reason other than it suits his case.If a mousetrap can be treated at the higher level (macro level) then a biological system can be too. If a mousetrap is what Behe himself thinks is IC but can be shown to not meet his definition then I'm not sure what his defintion (with all the addenda to it) is worth.

Actually the whole discussion is striking me as silly and a waste of time. I think I've spent way to much time here and will perhaps lurk now and then.You can carry on with this stuff if you think it is getting anywhere.