The fine-tuning of the Universe
From a video by Reasonable Faith
A source of wonder..
There are fundamental constants and quantities that determine the structure of the Universe, for example, the speed of light, the gravitational constant, etc.
Scientists have come to the realisation that each of these numbers have been carefully dialled to an astonishingly precise value - a value that falls within an exceedingly narrow, life-permitting range. If any one of these numbers were altered by even a hair's breadth, no physical, interactive life of any kind could exist anywhere. There'd be no stars, no life, no planets, no chemistry.
Consider gravity, for example. The force of gravity is determined by the gravitational constant. If this constant varied by just one in 1060 parts (that's 1 followed by 60 zeroes), none of us would exist. To understand how exceedingly narrow this life-permitting range is, consider that the number of cells in your body is 1014. If the gravitational constant had been out of tune by just one of these infinitesimally small increments, the universe would either have expanded and thinned out so rapidly that no stars could form and life couldn't exist, or it would have collapsed back on itself with the same result: no stars, no planets, no life.
If the mass and energy of the early universe were not evenly distributed to an incomprehensible precision - a number has so many digits that it literally can't be written down, the universe would be hostile to life of any kind.
The fact is our universe permits physical, interactive life only because these, and many other numbers, have been independently and exquisitely balanced on a razor's edge.
"The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life." Stephen Hawking.
What is the best explanation for this astounding phenomenon? There are three live options. The fine-tuning of the universe is due to either physical necessity, chance, or design. Which of these options is the most plausible?
Watch this 6 minute video:
Retweet about this article:
From a video by Reasonable Faith, 25/08/2020