What is the anthropic principle?
In: Physics
There are some people who say that the physics of the universe is very finely tuned. That if gravity was a little bit weaker or stronger, stars wouldn’t burn the same way, or if other forces or physical constants were slightly different planets and life as we know it would be impossible. That our universe is an extremely unlikely set of coincidences, that all need to come off in order for humanity to exist. It’s like winning the lottery dozens of times in a row. And the question arises: if this universe is so unlikely, did Someone intervene to make it happen? Is there a creator?
The anthropic principle is a possible answer to this. It says that of course we live in a universe perfectly tuned for life. If it wasn’t perfectly tuned for life, we wouldn’t *be* here to ask that question. There are no humans living in universes entirely full of black holes due to ultra strong gravity asking “why is this universe so impossible for humans to live in?” because they don’t live there.
Latest Answers