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Pastimes : Neocon's Seminar Thread
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To: gao seng who wrote (597)5/13/2001 2:27:00 AM
From: Mitch Blevins  Read Replies (1) of 1112
 
The short version of Hoyles cosmological argument...

The physical laws and constants of the universe and physics are so delicately balanced that any small change in any of them would be disasterous to the formation of stars and all the other things that lead to life as we know it. It is very improbable (out of the possibility of random assignment of values to the physical constants) that these exact values actually happened, so there must be some forethought and design that went into it.

One objection to this view is this: Imagine that there are an infinite number of universes, each with random assignments of physical constants. Naturally, the only universes that would evolve life to wonder about those constants are those with the correct physical constants for life. The fact that we are alive guarantees that we are in one of those few, improbable universes. Therefore, it is not cause for wonder at all.

Another objection to Hoyles view would be to question the assumption that the physical constants are independant and that a random probability distribution is applicable to them. Abraham Lincoln expressed the thought best when he quipped (paraphasing) "I'm amazed that my legs are just the right length to reach the ground!". These big numbers that are thrown around get cut down nicely when you don't assume they can vary independantly.
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