The Fine-Tuning of the Universe for Intelligent Life (stars)

[zaybu]

The fine-tuning of the universe for intelligent life has received a great deal of attention in recent years, both in the philosophical and scienti c literature. The claim is that in the space of possible physical laws, parameters and initial conditions, the set that permits the evolution of intelligent life is very small. I present here a review of the scienti c literature, outlining cases of ne-tuning in the classic works of Carter, Carr and Rees, and Barrow and Tipler, as well as more recent work. To sharpen the discussion, the role of the antagonist will be played by Victor Stenger's recent book. The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning: Why the Universe is Not Designed for Us. Stenger claims that all known ne-tuning cases can be explained without the need for a multiverse. Many of Stenger's claims will be found to be highly problematic. We will touch on such issues as the logical necessity of the laws of nature; objectivity, invariance and symmetry; theoretical physics and possible universes; entropy in cosmology; cosmic ination and initial conditions; galaxy formation; the cosmological constant; stars and their formation; the properties of elementary particles and their effect on chemistry and the macroscopic world; the origin of mass; grand uni ed theories; and the dimensionality of space and time. I also provide an assessment of the multiverse, noting the signi cant challenges that it must face. I do not attempt to defend any conclusion based on the ne-tuning of the universe for intelligent life. This paper can be viewed as a critique of Stenger's book, or read independently.

http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/...112.4647v1.pdf

[MagnetMan]

could we not just cut to the chase
and observe that the universe could not have given birth to intelligent life
if it were not intelligent itself

[orogenicman]

As I've pointed out in other threads on this very topic, the notion that the universe is finely tuned for life ignores the rather obvious fact that the vast bulk of the universe (most of which is composed of hard radiation and hard vaccum at a temperature approaching absolute zero) is, in fact, utterly hostile to life. Not to mention the fact that the notion that our particular universe is finely tuned for life assumes without evidence to support it that other, differently tuned universes cannot support life.