(July 13, 2011 at 7:49 am)Alastor Wrote: This point does not invalidate my conclusion. Knowing the laws of physics before the big bang is not necessary. I only need to know that the pre-big bang universe clearly had some mechanical bias toward the post-big bang universe. Either way, the universe still has an incredibly specific bias and therefore, my conclusion still stands.
You can't presuppose that, all we know is that the mechanics had a chance of creating an isolated region of space-time, a universe, and that it happened. We can't say anything about whether or not the cause has a tendency towards creating these regions, for all we know the universe producing event is one of the more rare events that this entity/object/mechanics produces - That is all the more true if you are considering this cause to be related to string theory, there are over 10^500 different possible universes, in those circumstances you're about as far from a specific universe creating 'bias' as you could get.
Quote:Then my conclusion still stands. Even if one is willing to throw out the big bang theory, then it still stands that the universe must have always had an incredibly specific bias toward the rules it now operates by.
You're saying it must have a bias towards this specific type of universe, or that it likely had a bias towards this universe? They're very different claims at an ontological level and both require a different response.
I answered the latter (likely bias) above, If the former is the case your claim essentially reduces to;
1. X (the universe) exists.
2. Y (unknown mechanism) caused X
3. Therefore, Y has a bias towards X.
It's a non sequitur, you haven't explained why, out of all the possible things that Y could cause, it has a bias towards X. An parallel argument would be as follows;
1. X (Bosons) exist.
2. Y (The LHC's Lead nuclei collision) caused X
3. Therefore, Y has a bias towards X.
This word substitution demonstrates your argument is invalid, bosons might be caused by the LHC's lead nuclei collisions but they are also one of the more rare results from Lead Nuclei collisions, Ferimons are a much more common result and thus if you were to say that the LHC as a cause was 'biased' towards one or the other you must conclude it is Ferimons the bias is towards.
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