Thread: The Anthropic Principle

Originally Posted by stormcrow

So there are many definitions of the anthropic principle (feel free to add your own) but Ill just go with this one: 1)The universe is the way it is because we exist

One of the textbooks for my seminar went over something similar to this. The author called it the "fine-tuning observer," meaning we see the universe as ordered because we set it up as ordered. For reference, see Mix's Life in Space: Astrobiology for Everyone.

and that 2) the universe exists for the sole purpose of producing carbon-based intelligent life forms.

Sort of makes you wonder why there are carbon-based life forms that AREN'T intelligent. Also we don't know if carbon-based life is universal. There could be silicon-based life floating around out there or something.

Originally Posted by stormcrow

The universe is the way it is because we exist

Originally Posted by BLUELINE976

One of the textbooks for my seminar went over something similar to this. The author called it the "fine-tuning observer," meaning we see the universe as ordered because we set it up as ordered. For reference, see Mix's Life in Space: Astrobiology for Everyone

Neither of these are really correct characterisations of the (weak) anthropic principle.

A proper statement is an elaboration of what Omis Dei said: we can only exist where it is possible for us to exist. Therefore the (local) environment we observe will be biased towards the existence of consciousness.

The important distinction to make is that the idea isn't that reality is biased towards humans; I think that's what the 'strong anthropic principle' is supposed to be, and it sounds like complete bollocks. It's just local reality.

The anthropic principle is what apologists are forgetting when they make arguments like 'the Earth is at the perfect distance from the sun for life which proves God'; of course, if Earth were not at the right distance, there wouldn't be any life on it and we wouldn't be here to make that observation. We'd be somewhere else (very figuratively speaking). It's perfectly logically sound and pretty obvious... it also explains why you are standing on the surface and not in outer space, for example, even though the vast majority of locations in the universe are in outer space.

It also explains the fine tuning of the observable universe, which does seem to possess otherwise extremely unlikely qualities which allow for complex objects to form.