This post marks the beginning of something I hope to do a lot more of. The Occasional Ort is intended to be an introduction to something that I find interesting and want the opportunity to share with others. So, here we go….
Occasional Ort #1
Did you know that the very fact that humans exist influences how we understand the universe? It’s called the Anthropic Principle, and it has quite a few proponents. In short, the universe we observe happens to be ideal for life to evolve, because if it were otherwise, there would be nobody to observe it.
It’s quite astonishing, if you think about it. Physical constants like the charge on the electron, the speed of light, the gravitational constant, and many others are perfectly situated for physics and chemistry to function the way they do. If any of these constants were off by a mere fraction of their value, the entire universe would be different. This concept is known as the fine-tuned universe.
Indeed, this very concept is used as an argument by cosmologists and theologists both. In this way, the anthropic cosmologists and the intelligent design creationists overlap in evidence, even though their theses are radically different.
it’s an interesting premise, and one I urge you to take the time to investigate. A book titled The Anthropic Cosmological Principle is a good place to learn more about it.
