When science and philosophy collide in a 'fine-tuned' universe

Jonathan Borwein; David H. Bailey, ^ | April 3, 2014 | The Conversation/phys.org/

[daniel1212]

[...]Our ever-expanding universe is incomprehensibly large – and its rate of growth is apparently accelerating – but if so it's actually in a very delicate balance.

It's then incredible that the universe exists at all. Let us explain.

In a 2004 review in Science of Searle's Mind a Brief Introduction, neuroscientist Christof Koch wrote:

Whether we scientists are inspired, bored, or infuriated by philosophy, all our theorising and experimentation depends on particular philosophical background assumptions. [...]

The main drivers here are some truly perplexing developments in physics and cosmology. In recent years physicists and cosmologists have uncovered numerous eye-popping "cosmic coincidences," remarkable instances of apparent "fine-tuning" of the universe.

Here are just three out of many that could be listed:

1. Carbon resonance and the strong force. Although the abundance of hydrogen, helium and lithium are well-explained by known physical principles, the formation of heavier elements, beginning with carbon, very sensitively depends on the balance of the strong and weak forces. If the strong force were slightly stronger or slightly weaker (by just 1% in either direction), there would be no carbon or any heavier elements anywhere in the universe, and thus no carbon-based life forms like us to ask why.
2. The proton-to-electron mass ratio. A neutron's mass is slightly more than the combined mass of a proton, an electron and a neutrino. If the neutron were very slightly less massive, then it could not decay without energy input. If its mass were lower by 1%, then isolated protons would decay instead of neutrons, and very few atoms heavier than lithium could form.
3. The cosmological constant. Perhaps the most startling instance of fine-tuning is the cosmological constant paradox. This derives from the fact that when one calculates, based on known principles of quantum mechanics, the "vacuum energy density" of the universe, focusing on the electromagnetic force, one obtains the incredible result that empty space "weighs" 1,093g per cubic centimetre (cc). The actual average mass density of the universe, 10-28g per cc, differs by 120 orders of magnitude from theory.[...]

   [...] Nobel laureate and physicist Steven Weinberg in 1987, who argued from basic principles that the cosmological constant must be zero to within one part in roughly 10120 (and yet be nonzero), or else the universe either would have dispersed too fast for stars and galaxies to have formed, or else would have recollapsed upon itself long ago.

   The Anthropic Principle

[daniel1212]

excerpt of a of larger article, about need for philosophical input. As usual, I do not post these as signifying concurrence with the web site or all the the sources believe, any more than the apostle Paul was in quoting a truth from a pagan poet, but these serve to provide substance for at least a First Cause, against the premise behind the the faith of atheists.

Which is that an exceedingly vast, systematically ordered, intricate universe, exquisitely finely tuned for corporeal earthly life with its extensive diversity and astounding complexity *, came to be by known (or potentially known), purely natural demonstrable powers, as if it was Divine, without any supreme supernatural intelligence behind the creation, organization and programming. of this universe.

I plan to post more of these, though as with the testimony threads I began to post, I do not have the time and energy or knowledge to respond much at all.

[daniel1212]

Ping!

[alexander_busek]

If it (the universe) weren't fine-tuned for life, then we would hardly be here to lament the fact. There is no reason to "marvel" at the fine-tuning of the universe; to observe that the universe in which we live support life (and hence observation) is a mere tautology. Of course it does!

The Anthropic Principle explains the absurdity of the notion that we can infer anything (e.g., "Intelligent Design") from this fine-tuning.

Regards,

[E. Pluribus Unum]

For many years, scientific philosophy as practised by scientists has languished, punctuated only by lapses such as the Sokal hoax, when NYU physicist Alan Sokal wrote a tongue-in-cheek article with a lot of scientific nonsense that was accepted by a leading journal in the postmodern science studies field (and launched a cottage industry of similar hoaxes).

So much for "peer review."

Wiley shuts down 19 science journals and retracts 11,000 gobbledygook papers
https://joannenova.com.au/2024/05/so-much-for-peer-review-wiley-shuts-down-19-science-journals-and-retracts-11000-fraudulent-or-gobblygook-papers/

Beware those scientific studies—most are wrong, researcher warns
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-beware-scientific-studiesmost-wrong.html

The goal of modern "science" is grant money, not truth.

[Honorary Serb]

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

There was a time when humans thought our Milky Way galaxy was the entire universe. Some of those weird, diffuse smudges we saw with rudimentary telescopes were actually other galaxies.

As the telescopes improved, we began to collect images of amazing galaxies, of all shapes and sizes. There are even images of galaxies that are, or have, collided with each other.

When a Hubble astronomer decided to take long look (photo exposure over time) at a very small, but ‘empty’ part of the night sky, the result changed everything. Before this Hubble Deep Field Image, we estimated there were about 200 million galaxies in the known universe. When we let Hubble view this tiny, ‘empty’ spot, thousands and thousands of galaxies were revealed. After the Deep Field revelations, we now estimate there may be 2 trillion galaxies.

Recently, the James Webb telescope reaches even further into the universe. They are finding galaxies that ‘shouldn’t exist’ that do not go along with what is/was the current theory. Before Webb, they estimated the age of the universe at 14-15 billion years old. Since Webb is peering ever deeper, our estimates of size and age of the known universe will change. I love putting the adjective ‘known’ before universe. We use the gifts God gave us to explore and theorize. We now know that what Hubble gave us as the known universe is not everything. Webb will peer further and further. What is beyond the limit that Webb can detect? We shall see. Webb is an Infrared telescope. Cosmic shhhtuff that might not be visible to our eyes is found with Webb.

Quite a bit of what ‘science’ has brought us makes sense in explaining some of what is around us. Properties of gravity, light, the physical universe around us, and how it operates.

There is also quite a bit of science that is hypothesis, educated guessing, etc.

Some famous person once said “the beginning of wisdom is the ability to say “I don’t know.”

There is much that we are certain about. There is much, much more that we do not know. Part of the joy of real science is using God’s gifts to explore.

[Fai Mao]

Reading something like this, I am reminded of Francis Schaeffer’s stair-step process of how everything starts with philosophy, science, Music and Cinema, politics, popular culture, and theology.

[daniel1212]

Thanks for the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle#Reception_and_controversies

Further down in the OP article (https://phys.org/news/2014-04-science-philosophy-collide-fine-tuned-universe.html) there is a bit on this.

[daniel1212]

The goal of modern "science" is grant money, not truth.

Much so it would seem. And sadly, than can also be said of much conservative media.

[daniel1212]

There is much that we are certain about. There is much, much more that we do not know. Part of the joy of real science is using God’s gifts to explore.

Yes, I use a NASA image for a gospel tract.

[boatbums]

Even as a little kid I remember wondering about how high the sky was and what was after that - a wall? how thick was the wall? what was after the wall?... I realized even then that there are some things our finite minds simply aren’t able to comprehend. That is where faith comes in - without which we cannot please God, He tells us in His word. One day, we will “know even as we are known”.