(July 28, 2022 at 12:19 pm)HappySkeptic Wrote:"Possible answers are that what appear to be "free parameters" in physics are not free at all,"(July 28, 2022 at 11:47 am)Peebo-Thuhlu Wrote: Then there's the 'Fine tuning' thing. Where?
The Earth sits in a zone along with Venus and Mars that we're pretty sure allow for liquid water under an atmosphere. So we're one out of three there.
Then there's the orbit of the Earth which meanders over a few million miles per orbit, hence effecting the temperature for all involved just a little bit.
Followed by the wobble in the Earth's rotation that screws with things just a little bit more.
Then you've got the constant flexing of the Earth by the Moon as it meanders back and forth in its orbit heating the place up and causing tectonic shifts, earthquakes, volcanoes.....
The list of things 'Out of whack' in the system just goes on and on and on..... Would you like to know more?
The "Fine tuning" argument is around the range of possible physical constants, and the proposal that most of that potential parameter space could not lead to any sort of life (not just life as we know it). If there is no physical "reason" for the current values of physical constants, then they must have been chosen by a god.
It is a good question. Possible answers are that what appear to be "free parameters" in physics are not free at all, or that there is a multiverse where different physics applies in different regions or versions (and only habitable universes will have creatures asking these questions).
Of course, if it were a god designing the universe, why is it so hostile to life? We might be the only intelligent civilization in our galaxy at present. It certainly doesn't seem designed for life.
Well give evidence they were not free. If you want to say it was possible, give evidence for it. Or, can you say anything you want with no evidence to back it?
"or that there is a multiverse where different physics applies in different regions or versions (and only habitable universes will have creatures asking these questions)."
Do supply evidence for your multiverse. There's a reason I brought up in my first comment in this thread, those that object to science only have science fiction to resort to, and that's precisely what you are doing. You can do that with anything, like 2 + 2 = 4. You can say that it's possible that the math parameters only appear to make it look like the answer is 4. Or that in another universe it equals 45,892.
"Of course, if it were a god designing the universe, why is it so hostile to life?"
If it were "so hostile to life" then why do we have life on this earth? YOU tell me how we got life on this earth. We clearly DO have life on this earth so tell me how it got here on its own. Can you answer anything because this thread is titled "Why does science always upstage God?" and none of you can supply such science at ALL.
"We might be the only intelligent civilization in our galaxy at present."
Oh, here's another one; how did we get intelligence? Intelligence is informational and information is immaterial so information only comes from intelligence. So if you want to flatter yourself that you are part of this intelligent civilization explain how we got information, how we got life, and how we got reproduction to become a civilization. Then again, I'm still waiting for science how we even got this universe on its own.