Claim
Fine-tuned universe
Overview
The fine-tuned universe is the hypothesis that, because "life as we know it" could not exist if the constants of nature—such as the electron charge or the gravitational constant—had been even slightly different, the universe must be tuned specifically for life. In practice, this hypothesis is formulated in relation to dimensionless physical constants. These physical constants, parameters, and initial conditions of the universe at or around the Big Bang played a key role in allowing life to emerge and evolve. There are about 31 physical constants in the Standard Model of particle physics and the standard model of cosmology combined, and they seem to have unusual precision.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
Found by search and not yet checked by a person; they may only mention the idea in passing.
It is on account of this force that man is called microcosm; for he likewise possesses a certain principle which governs all the forces of the body, and on account of this comparison God is called “the life of the Universe”; comp. “and he swore by the life of the Universe” (Dan. xii. 7).
Moses Maimonides, The guide for the perplexed
States what Fine-tuned universe is.
Or, more particularly, what are termed the nobler parts of our nature are supposed to be inexplicable, unless the universe always contained something at least equally noble which could cause them. All such views seem to depend upon assuming some unduly simplified law of causality; for, in any legitimate sense of "cause" and "effect," science seems to show that they are usually very widely dissimilar, the "cause"…
Bertrand Russell, Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays
States what Fine-tuned universe is.
There is still a resource; the ultimate elements of bodies are electrons, some charged negatively, the others charged positively. The negative electrons have no mass, this is understood; but the positive electrons, from the little we know of them, seem much greater. Perhaps they have, besides their electrodynamic mass, a true mechanical mass.
Henri Poincaré, The Foundations of Science
States what Fine-tuned universe is.
Related ideas
- General relativity
- Princeton University Press
- Philosophy
- Springer Science+Business Media
- Alister McGrath
- Abingdon-on-Thames
- Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
- Jaakko Hintikka
- Synthese
- Max Tegmark
- London
- Stephen Hawking
- Dark energy
- Natural selection
- Physics
- Physical constant
- Particle physics
- Photon
- D. Reidel
- Quantum gravity
- Richard Dawkins
- Richard Swinburne
- Spacetime
- Scientific American
Place in the tradition
Part of Universe.