* Another Fun RSR List Show: In Real Science Radio's List of the Fine Tuned Features of the Universe, Bob Enyart quotes leading scientists and their astounding admission of the uncanny and seemingly never-ending list of the just-perfect finely tuned parameters of the physical features of the Earth, the solar system, and the entire cosmos.This program is brought to you by God, maker of … Anthropic Constant 1: Oxygen Level. Their argument for a materialist worldview was energized by the belief in an ordinary Earth. Copernicus, a strong believer in God, couldn�t have disagreed more with such an assumption, and would have taken exception to it. This one is a bit of a disappointment. 4. Section 5 ... Other Beliefs     >        Index To Atheism       >        Anthropic Principles. Then encrypt one grain with a special code known only to you, and randomly bury that grain on a beach somewhere on Earth. Joel Achenbach, �Life Beyond Earth,� National Geographic (January, 2000, Special Millennium Issue), 45. In place of the anthropic principle or Lee Smolin’s cosmic selection, I have suggested one possible approach to the choices of the constants of nature by maximizing constructive interference over a sum of all histories through a space of both configurations and laws. Perhaps rather than being an argument on its own, apologists use the anthropic principle (or more precisely a straw man version of it) to further bolster the fine-tuning argument and argument from design. Science News, August 3, 1985, 73. A FINELY TUNED PLANET You may believe that aliens have sent life to Earth from a far distant galaxy (the premise of that memorable drama from 2004, AVP: Alien vs. Why is Only Earth Suitable for Life? 17. Examples of how to use “anthropic” in a sentence from the Cambridge Dictionary Labs The notion that we inhabit a universe whose laws and physical constants are fine-tuned in such a way as to make it hospitable to carbon-based life is an old idea (Gardner, 2003). In order for life to exist in a galaxy, it needs to meet several criteria. Now offer a reward to anyone who can find it on one pick, even though they don�t know which beach to scour, or how deep it is buried. [By www.y-origins.com. Anthropic Constant 3: Moon-Earth Gravitational InteractionIf the interaction were greater than it currently is, tidal effects on the oceans, atmosphere, and rotational period would be too severe. Space-energy density. The initial conditions of the universe are the arrangements and properties of the stuff (matter, energy, space) of the universe at its beginning. As we have seen already, had the universe as a whole been slightly different, the evolution of life never have arisen in the first place! If it had expanded faster, then no galaxies would have formed. 6. 2. Yet, scientists tell us that the likelihood of a big bang explosion resulting in a universe able to support life like ours is many times more improbable. Scientists have learned that only an exceptionally fine-tuned planet like Earth has the necessary ingredients to harbor life. The Sun�s distance from the center of the galaxy. These two statements, spoken first by physicist Brandon Carter in 1973, are known, respectively, as the Weak Anthropic Principle and the Strong Anthropic Principle. That precise figure is an Anthropic Constant that makes ... Anthropic Constant 2: Atmospheric Transparency. [13] This is the safest part of the galaxy, away from its highly radioactive center. The Anthropic Principle and Creation Theology. Would anyone believe they discovered it by accident? 12. This is a rather illogical situation, because there is far more evidence in favor of the Bible being true, than there is for any of the other 'holy books'. Human existence is possible because the constants of physics and the parameters for the universe and for planet Earth lie within certain highly restricted ranges. Anthropic Principle: The Design Is In The Details. Yet, scientists tell us that the likelihood of a big bang explosion resulting in a universe able to support life like ours is many times more improbable. However, if the ozone level were much greater, there would be too little UV radiation for adequate plant growth. For life to exist, these, as well as many other conditions need to be just right. In either event, life on earth would be impossible. To try and visualize the difficulty, imagine all the grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth. 5. Carter, "The Anthropic Principle,"347-60. If it were thinner, volcanic and tectonic activity would make life impossible. The balance of matter and antimatter. Suddenly our planet seemed less special. Anthropic Constant 8: Speed Of LightAny of the laws of physics can be described as a function of the velocity of light (now defined to be 299,792,458 meters per second). A Loving Ultimate Creator b. William J. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. An extraordinary coincidence This includes scientific, historical and archaeological corroboration and the many fulfilled prophecies. Anthropic Constant 10: Jupiter.If Jupiter were not in it�s current orbit, the earth would be bombarded with space material. The odds that such fine-tuning could have occurred by chance is not just unlikely - scientists say it is virtually impossible. Design and the Anthropic Principle by Hugh Ross, Ph.D. Summary . Anthropic Constant 15: Seismic Activity.If there were more seismic activity, much more life would be lost; if there were less, nutrients on the ocean floors and in river runoff would not be cycled back to the continents through tectonic uplift. Not just one, but all of them require unbelievably precise fine-tuning. It�s unknown how many galaxies the universe contains, but it may be around a trillion. 3. A great deal of attention have recently been given the so-called "Anthropic Principle" (AP). When early humans looked at the heavens, they could not escape the concept of a Creator. If Ward and Brownlee are right, what does that mean to us? 8. [15], ONE BLOOMING ROCK University of Washington professors Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee conclude in their book, Rare Earth, that the conditions favorable for life must be so rare in the universe that �not only intelligent life, but even the simplest of animal life is exceedingly rare in our galaxy and in the universe.�16 This has led their readers to the conclusion expressed by the reviewer from the New York Times: �Maybe we are alone in the universe, after all.� [17]. These highly precise and interdependent environmental conditions (which are called �Anthropic Constants� make up what is known as the �Anthropic Principle.� �Anthropic� comes from the Greek word that means �human� or �man�. Eugene Wigner, �The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Physical Sciences,� Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics 13 (1960), 1-14. Talk about precision. Help. And a smaller galaxy would result in inadequate heavy elements, such as iron and carbon, essential to life. Surprisingly, given the great number of these star groups, most galaxies are incompatible with life. Key works: Earman 1987 provides a survey and a sharp critique of different versions of the anthropic principle. The Occult & Bible Prophecy Part 3 Prophets of the New Order, Revelation Session 09 The Church of Laodicea, The Emerging New Christianity Part 1 Audio, Hollywood Oscars Babylonian Connections & FreeMasonry, Pope Francis Love Affair With Global Communism, Pseudo-Science Behind Face Masks, Social Distancing And Contact Tracing, The Music Industries Strange Affair WIth Satan, Christian Witches a Growing Cult of Mixture Examined. The anthropic principle is a group of principles attempting to determine how statistically probable our observations of the universe are, given that we could only exist in a particular type of universe to start with. Anthropic Constant 6: Centrifugal ForceIf the centrifugal force of planetary movements did not precisely balance the gravitational forces, nothing could be held in orbit around the sun. It should be noted that one interpretation of the anthropic coincidences is the theory that infinitely many universes with potentially different physical laws and constants exist and so it is not unlikely that in all these one universe with appropriate conditions for life would be present. If it weren’t there, our tilt could swing widely over a large range, making our winters a hundred degrees colder and our summers a hundred degrees warmer. In other words, scientific observation of the universe would not even be possible if the laws of the universe had been incompatible with the development of sentient life. A FINELY TUNED UNIVERSE Dr. Robin Collins states in The Case for a Creator, �Over the past thirty years or so, scientists have discovered that just about everything about the basic structure of the universe is balanced on a razor�s edge.� [4] Over 35 different characteristics of the universe and its physical laws must be precisely fine-tuned for physical life to be possible. In addition to the 35 different characteristics of our universe that must be just right for life to exist, over 100 characteristics of our galaxy, solar system, and planet needed to be fine-tuned or we would not be here. What are the odds of that? THEY DON'T CALL THESE NUMBERS ASTRONOMICAL FOR NOTHING An article in U.S. News & World Report remarks, �So far no theory is even close to explaining why physical laws exist, much less why they take the form they do. Our own galaxy is called the Milky Way. The Sun�s metal content. Anthropic Constant 7: Rate Of ExpansionIf the universe had expanded at a rate one millionth more slowly than it did, expansion would have stopped and the universe would have collapsed on itself before any stars had formed. Anthropic Principle: The Design Is In The Details. Choose Life That You Might Live. Although the expansion rate had to be great enough for the universe to avoid a big crunch, if its outward force had been even a fraction greater, that would have been too much for gravity to form stars and planets. In the formation of the universe, the balance between matter and antimatter, and the excess of matter over antimatter, needed to be accurate to one part in ten billion for the universe to arise. Proponents of the anthropic principle argue that it explains why this universe has the age and the fundamental physical constantsnec… Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards, The Privileged Planet (Washington, DC: Regnery, 2004), 132�138. The birth of the universe had to begin with enough force, or life couldn�t exist. However, if Earth was the center of our solar system, as Ptolemy and 16th century Catholic Church leaders had taught, we wouldn�t be here. Yet, incredibly, Earth appears to sit alone in a hostile universe devoid of life, a reality portrayed recently in National Geographic: If life sprang up through natural processes on the Earth, then the same thing could presumably happen on other worlds. Through the death of his wife, the priest has come to the conclusion that life is random. Even a slight variation in the speed of light would alter the other constants and preclude the possibility of life on earth. Anthropic Constant 9: Water Vapor Levels.If water vapor levels in the atmosphere were greater than they are now, a runaway greenhouse effect would cause temperatures to rise too high for human life. John D. Barrow and George Silk, The Left Hand of Creation: The Origin and Evolution of the Expanding Universe (New York: Basic, 1983), 206. Avery: But how can you not believe the universe was designed for life? Radiation Pressure Main Sequence Fine Structure Constant Anthropic Principle Gravitational Coupling Constant These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. In his movie Signs, M. Night Shyamalan presents us with a priest (played by Mel Gibson) who has lost his faith. Earth�s distance from the Sun. Anthropic Dimensionless Constants. In fact, the universe is specifically tweaked to enable life on earth. Belief in the fine-tuned universe led to the expectation that the Large Hadron Collider would produce evidence of … Anthropic Constant 2: Atmospheric TransparencyIf the atmosphere were less transparent, not enough solar radiation would reach the earth�s surface. But it is not enough to have the right universe, galaxy, and solar system for human life to be possible. Why is Only Earth Suitable for Life? The Sun�s mass not too large. However, while the text is part of the original article, the links are not. On the other hand, if our planet were just two percent farther from the Sun, the oceans would freeze and the rain that enables life would be nonexistent. Anthropic Constant 1: Oxygen LevelOn earth, oxygen comprises 21 percent of the atmosphere. Mars once had water and therefore might have harbored life. Jupiter�s gravitational field acts as a cosmic vacuum cleaner, attracting asteroids and comets that might otherwise strike earth. Assuming there are 1022 planets in the universe (a very large number: 1 with 22 zeros following it), his answer is shocking; one chance in 10138, that�s one chance in one with 138 zeros after it. 3–17.) [3]. In fact, until the 1500s, most people believed in the ancient astronomer Ptolemy�s teaching, that Earth was the center of the universe. Stephen Hawking observes, �The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.� [20]. Answer: Anthropic means “relating to human beings or their existence.” Principle means “law.” The Anthropic Principle is the Law of Human Existence. [9] Thus, the mass contained in all dark and visible matter, including stars, is essential for the existence of our universe. That precise figure is an Anthropic Constant that makes life on earth possible. But water is only one of many requirements for life. Earth has an abundance of water, which is essential for life. In any case, we have all been raised on the assumption that, given enough time, intelligent life will spring up anywhere in the cosmos (with perhaps a few more eyeballs or reptilian features). Our Milky Way galaxy meets these and many other conditions essential for life. 4. Anthropic Constant 4: Carbon Dioxide levelIf the CO2 level were higher than it is now, a runaway greenhouse effect would develop (we�d all burn up). Image credit: E. Siegel. Yet, if the ozone level were much smaller, there would be too much UV radiation for adequate plant growth, and life would be impossible. Over a hundred million other tickets didn�t match. Life could never have been possible. He is the author of some 200 publications, including Anthropic Bias (2002), Global Catastrophic Risks (2008), Human Enhancement (2009), and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014), a New York Times bestseller which helped spark a global conversation about artificial intelligence. Quoted in Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), 131. Academic English Words List … Informed scientists now univerally recognise that the Universe is exquisitely finely tuned to allow the coming into being of intelligent life. We also need a moon of just the right size and position to impact our tides and seasons. Scientists have determined that if the plate tectonic activity were greater, human life could not be sustained and greenhouse-gas reduction would overcompensate for increasing solar luminosity. Earth is the only planet in our solar system in which we can breathe. No other theory or concept imagined by man can equal in boldness and audacity this great claim � that all the starry heavens, and every species of life, that every characteristic of reality exists for mankind. Explain… The Teleological/ Fine-Tuned is by far my favorite argument for the existence of God because of the Anthropic Constants that are evidence for the complex design of the universe. And yet, when it comes to life existing in our universe, the odds are far more remote than winning a hundred Powerball lotteries consecutively. Scientists have determined that if the plate tectonic activity were greater, human life could not be sustained and the greenhouse-gas reduction would over-compensate for increasing solar luminosity. None of them, including Copernicus, knew that in order for human life to be possible, Earth needs to revolve around a Sun that has just the right size, location, and conditions as ours does. The space-energy density of the universe requires much greater precision than the mass density. John D. Barrow and Frank J. Tipler, The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986), 556-70. This principle says that our existence in the universe depends on numerous cosmological constants and parameters whose numerical values must fall within a very narrow range of values. The mass density of the universe. On the other hand, if it were smaller, its greater flaring would disrupt Earth�s rotation rate. Only two percent of all stars have enough metal content to form planets. Our Milky Way is enormous, measuring 100,000 light-years from end to end. In the last decades of the twentieth century, its credibility is being enhanced by discoveries in several branches of fundamental science. Swinburne argues that the initial conditions of the universe and the physical constants mentioned in the basic physical laws are fine-tuned for intelligent life. He has decided that he will no longer pretend to see God in the picture. A FINELY TUNED GALAXY Galaxies are clusters of stars containing from millions to trillions of stars. Earth is the only planet in our solar system in which we can breathe. In effect, there zero chance that any planet in the universe would have the life-supporting conditions we have, unless there is an intelligent Designer behind it all. However, new scientific discoveries are challenging its premise. Dietrick E. Thompsen, �The Quantum Universe: A Zero-Point Fluctuation?� Science News, August 3, 1985, 73. The �Anthropic Principal� is just a fancy title for the mounting evidence that has many scientists believing that the universe is extremely fine-tuned (designed) to support human life here on earth. You may believe that the government is hiding something outer spatial in Nevada�s mysterious Area 51. 1. Please Note: Each coloured link within the article will lead you to a related topic on a different page of this site. Brandon Carter, "The Anthropic Principle and Its Implications for Biological Evolution," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series A 370 (1983): 347-60. A Powerball jackpot of $314.9 million. A Planet with scores of improbable and inter-dependent life- supporting conditions that make it a tiny oasis in a vast and hostile universe. (In addition to atmospheric transparency, the atmospheric composition of precise levels of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and ozone are in themselves Anthropic constants).