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God or a multiverse?
Guardian ^ | December 8 2008 | Mark Vernon

Posted on 12/08/2008 11:56:24 AM PST by Soliton

Is there a God or a multiverse? Does modern cosmology force us to choose? Is it the case that the apparent fine-tuning of constants and forces to make the universe just right for life means there is either a need for a "tuner" or else a cosmos in which every possible variation of these constants and forces exists somewhere?

This choice has provoked anxious comment in the pages of this week's New Scientist. It follows an article in Discover magazine, in which science writer Tim Folger quoted cosmologist Bernard Carr: "If you don't want God, you'd better have a multiverse."

Even strongly atheistic physicists seem to believe the choice is unavoidable. Steven Weinberg, the closest physics comes to a Richard Dawkins, told the eminent biologist: "If you discovered a really impressive fine-tuning ... I think you'd really be left with only two explanations: a benevolent designer or a multiverse."

The anxiety in the New Scientist stems in part from the way this apparent choice has been leapt upon by the intelligent design people. Scientists don't like that since it seems to suggest that ID offers a theory that cosmologists are taking seriously. It doesn't of course: ID wasn't science before the multiverse hypothesis gained prominence, just a few years ago; and it hasn't become science since.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Religion; Science
KEYWORDS: cosmology; id; multiverse
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To: Soliton
The universe is a multiplex.

When you get right down to the bottom of things ...

... the floors are sticky.

81 posted on 12/08/2008 1:54:47 PM PST by x
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To: hellbender

Burned......


82 posted on 12/08/2008 1:55:35 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: x
... the floors are sticky.

It's the gluons

83 posted on 12/08/2008 2:00:24 PM PST by Soliton (This 2 shall pass)
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To: Soliton
The Bible describes God. Do you read the Bible?

Of course. Why do you think the Bible would describe everything there is to know about God?

Do you have a science text that describes everything there is to know about origins?

84 posted on 12/08/2008 2:02:00 PM PST by tpanther (All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke)
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To: Soliton
Thank you for your explanation!
85 posted on 12/08/2008 2:04:18 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Soliton; metmom
I am glad you do, but believing in things you don't understand is superstion (Stevie Wonder)

We don't understand origins but we got here somehow.

Are you saying you don't believe in the concept of origins?

86 posted on 12/08/2008 2:06:23 PM PST by tpanther (All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke)
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To: Soliton; metmom
No I'm stating the theory Besides, I don't "believe" in multiverses. It is just one possible explanation. If I were to "believe" that they existed I would need evidence.

I see. So you freely embrace the multiverse theory as a possibility with no evidence that you don't understand as plausible, but NOT I.D. BECAUSE you don't understand it and have no evidence.

Well, see we all knew your problems weren't based on science but based solely on insecurities about God/religion.

Welcome to reality soliton!

NOW see if you can actually embrace REALITY!

I'm pulling for ya!

87 posted on 12/08/2008 2:17:18 PM PST by tpanther (All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke)
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To: greyfoxx39
From later in the artcle:

A fairly understabable video explanation of the multiverse is availble at YouTube: Imagining the Tenth Dimension (annotated). It is very interesting.

88 posted on 12/08/2008 2:24:57 PM PST by delacoert
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To: Soliton

Okay, where did the multiverse come from?


89 posted on 12/08/2008 2:24:59 PM PST by Malesherbes (Sauve Qui Peut)
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To: Malesherbes
Okay, where did the multiverse come from?

It is where; it dosen't come from where.

90 posted on 12/08/2008 2:29:38 PM PST by Soliton (This 2 shall pass)
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To: Soliton

Rhetorical question.


91 posted on 12/08/2008 2:37:09 PM PST by Terpfen (Ain't over yet, folks. Those 2004 Senate gains are up for grabs in 2 years.)
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To: Soliton

Not my statement but from the articule.


92 posted on 12/08/2008 2:43:48 PM PST by svcw (Great selection of Christmas gift baskets: http://baskettastic.com/)
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To: Soliton
I vote for the Creator

Was There Ever Nothing?

93 posted on 12/08/2008 2:43:54 PM PST by LiteKeeper (Beware the secularization of America; the Islamization of Eurabia)
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To: Alamo-Girl

figured
apology offered


94 posted on 12/08/2008 2:45:08 PM PST by svcw (Great selection of Christmas gift baskets: http://baskettastic.com/)
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To: Soliton
you'd really be left with only two explanations: a benevolent designer or a multiverse."

1)why is the nature of multiverse the way it is?
2)why is there a multiverse rather than nothing?

95 posted on 12/08/2008 3:39:34 PM PST by mjp (Live & let live. I don't want to live in Mexico, Marxico, or Muslimico. Statism & high taxes suck)
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To: mjp
why is there a multiverse rather than nothing?

Because

96 posted on 12/08/2008 3:43:11 PM PST by Soliton (This 2 shall pass)
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To: mjp

one possibility, if a person either believes in god or leave the possibility open, is that god created the universe in such a way as to challenge people to look at the evidence as they understand it and look at The Word and make a choice as to what they will beleive.

We sometimes have to admit that we just don’t know. That is not to say that oen cannot beleive in god or choose not to. But no one can honestly say that they know that there is no god, only that they believe that there is not.


97 posted on 12/08/2008 3:43:42 PM PST by SerafinQ
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To: Soliton
Because

That's deep.

98 posted on 12/08/2008 3:51:35 PM PST by Yardstick
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To: Yardstick
I don't know if multiverses exist. I don't know what they are made of. I do know that science isn't very good at answering why questions. "Because" works because it implies an unknown cause. Now you can say the cause is God, but that would be meaningless unless you could explain what you mean by God,

I prefer "I don't know"

99 posted on 12/08/2008 4:06:25 PM PST by Soliton (This 2 shall pass)
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To: Soliton

As someone else replied, the designer would be intelligent. I am definitly not a creationist and for me ID is not a hidden backdoor to creationism.

There are many of us ID people that believe that the Universe is designed. It may turn out to be designed by aliens for all I know. It is what it is.


100 posted on 12/08/2008 4:15:45 PM PST by SoftwareEngineer
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