Re: How anthropic is the anthropic principle, exactly?

"On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:06:41 -0700, in article
<rahuu2dq5u2c9bvmsb7tmitmcae720hjn9@xxxxxxx>, r norman stated..."

On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:44:14 GMT, Mark Isaak <eciton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:01:39 +0000, LSR wrote:

Mark Isaak wrote:
Most of the universe is hostile to human life. The proportion that is
not is approximately 10^-n.

My question: What is the value of n in that number?

(Yes, I am admitting that I am too lazy to work it out myself.)

Are you including empty space?

Yes.

I don't think of vacuum as "hostile" to
humans any more than the sea is.

It is hard to make a living in vacuum, though. Vacuum is rather low in
vitamins, especially the vacuum between galaxies, which is most of it.
Besides, those who use the anthropic principle argument do not argue that
vacuum is fine-tuned to support us.

If we were truly intelligently designed, we could just live off dark
energy.



There is a saying (attributed to Galileo, but I've never been able to find it):

"Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid
gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh heavier than lead,
and with their wings exceedingly small. He did not, and that ought to show
something. It is only in order to shield your ignorance that you put the Lord
at every turn to the refuge of a miracle."

A designer which is capable enough to design a whole universe, and
fix the parameters of physics, would seem capable of making life in
a hostile universe.


--
---Tom S.
"...when men have a real explanation they explain it, eagerly and copiously and
in common speech, as Huxley freely gave it when he thought he had it."
GK Chesterton, Doubts About Darwinism (1920)

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Vacuum Cleaners from Outer Space
    ... art and engineering mix like oil and water. ... So they hired fashion designer Rudi Gernreich (of ... Probably a prison vacuum cleaner. ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: A Genial Invention: Vaccum Chronometer
    ... The inventor and designer of the vacuum watches was a salesman ... Please consider that the atmosphere (air) is the vector of all moisture ...
    (alt.horology)
  • Re: Vacuum Cleaners from Outer Space
    ... Kinda like a motorized plastic toy snail. ... some eccentric designer gone mad but ...surprise...it's made by ... I think it's weird to give the kids vacuum toys to ride. ... After looking at those vacuum cleaners, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: A Genial Invention: Vaccum Chronometer
    ... The inventor and designer of the vacuum watches was a salesman ... > for Glycine until January 1st, 1966, where at the abolition of the ...
    (alt.horology)
  • Re: How anthropic is the anthropic principle, exactly?
    ... I am admitting that I am too lazy to work it out myself.) ... It is hard to make a living in vacuum, ... vacuum is fine-tuned to support us. ...
    (talk.origins)