The universe is fine tuned such that life can exist within it. Life is defined by scientists to mean taking in food, extracting energy, growing, adapting to the environment and reproducing.
Certain quantities have to be just right for the universe to permit life. For example, when the universe began there needed to be a certain amount of disorder (entropy). The entropy at the beginning of the universe needed to be just right to result in a universe that would allow life.
The laws of nature can be expressed as mathematical equations. In these equations are symbols that stand for unchanging quantities called constants. If these constants were even slightly different, the same laws of nature would result in a very different universe.
The current estimate of the age of the universe is 100 000 000 000 000 000 seconds.
The current estimate of the number of subatomic particles in the universe is 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000000 000 000.
The force that holds together the various bits that make up the nucleus of an atom together is called the weak force. If its value was different by one part in 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000000 000 000 then the universe would not permit life. Not only that, there would be no chemistry at all.
I am loosely quoting here from the work of William Lane Craig, a philosopher and Christian apologist. Here he summarises how the fine tuning of the universe to permit life to exist points to it being designed by someone. The argument goes like this:
The fine tuning of the universe to permit life is due to (i) physical necessity, (ii) chance or (iii) design
It is not due to (i) physical necessity or (ii) chance
Therefore, it is due to design.
This argument forms part of a wide spectrum of evidence for the existence of the creator God consistent with the picture of God in the Bible. In this case he is the designer God.
Certain quantities have to be just right for the universe to permit life. For example, when the universe began there needed to be a certain amount of disorder (entropy). The entropy at the beginning of the universe needed to be just right to result in a universe that would allow life.
The laws of nature can be expressed as mathematical equations. In these equations are symbols that stand for unchanging quantities called constants. If these constants were even slightly different, the same laws of nature would result in a very different universe.
The current estimate of the age of the universe is 100 000 000 000 000 000 seconds.
The current estimate of the number of subatomic particles in the universe is 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000000 000 000.The force that holds together the various bits that make up the nucleus of an atom together is called the weak force. If its value was different by one part in 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000000 000 000 then the universe would not permit life. Not only that, there would be no chemistry at all.
I am loosely quoting here from the work of William Lane Craig, a philosopher and Christian apologist. Here he summarises how the fine tuning of the universe to permit life to exist points to it being designed by someone. The argument goes like this:
The fine tuning of the universe to permit life is due to (i) physical necessity, (ii) chance or (iii) design
It is not due to (i) physical necessity or (ii) chance
Therefore, it is due to design.
This argument forms part of a wide spectrum of evidence for the existence of the creator God consistent with the picture of God in the Bible. In this case he is the designer God.