During the last forty years or so, scientists have discovered that the existence of intelligent life depends upon a complex and delicate balance of initial conditions given in the Big Bang itself. This is known as the “fine-tuning” of the universe and sometimes known as “fine-tuned” for life.
Have you heard any of the details or any of the contemporary discussion concerning the remarkable fine-tuning of the cosmos for life? Both of the following articles offer much information on this subject. Click HERE for Wikipedia article. Click HERE for Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article.
Have you found it a little (maybe a lot) too deep in the sciences? Well, I have. So how do I deal with it? I try to absorb what I can understand which is why I have written this article. I want to help you by concentrating on a couple of basic things that I see.
One example of all of this is the Earth
- The Earth is the right size for its gravity to hold a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases necessary to sustain life. Bigger or smaller would give a different gas balance.
- The Earth’s location is the right distance from the sun to delicately balance the temperatures between -30 and 120 degrees. Closer or further would give different unbearable temperatures.
- The Earth’s rotation on its axis is the right speed allowing warming and cooling on a daily basis within an acceptable range.
- The Earth’s moon is the perfect distance and size from the Earth Its gravitational pull creates important ocean tides and movement so the ocean water does not become stagnate. Closer would cause the oceans to spill over to dry land.
- The Earths has a massive desalination system that removes salt from water and then distributes the water throughout the globe.
Another example of this is the unique characteristics of Water:
- Water is vitally important for life since 2/3 of the human body is water.
- Water has a wide margin between its boiling point and freezing point that fits very well with the Earth’s temperature range.
- Water is a universal solvent. This is vital to life as it carries various chemicals, minerals, and nutrients throughout our bodies.
- Water is chemically neutral. This allows these substances to be carried and absorbed in our bodies without reacting to these substances.
- Water has a unique surface tension. This allows water in plants to flow upwards against gravity, giving nutrients to the top of our tallest trees.
- Water has a unique material property of expansion when it freezes when all other materials contract when they freeze. This allows frozen water to float so fish can live in winter.
Is Evolution A Theory is answered with the “fine-tuning” term. The fact that the universe is able to support life depends on several of its fundamental characteristics within the laws of nature and its many constants of nature.
Reactions to the “fine tuning” of the universe include:
- Lucky coincidence.
- Future theories will explain this away.
- The life-friendly universe was created by a divine designer
- Many different universes have different constants
Regardless of what reaction you have, the fact that the universe seems finely tuned is undeniable. Evidence is provided in physics, astronomy, and biology. Ultimately, you have to judge the evidence and formulate your reaction when you are faced with the question, “Is evolution a theory?”
Could the “fine-tuning” occur by luck?