Natural Intelligence and Anthropic Reasoning

The period (roughly) 1990-today is characterized by a big watershed and branching of cosmology into multiple and hitherto unexpected directions. On one side, the generic chaotic/eternal inflation has provided physical grounds for rather wild speculative ideas about the multiverse: the possibly infinite set of cosmological domains (‘universes’). In order to determine how observed features of our universe are (im)probable in the multiverse context requires application of anthropic reasoning which is still controversial in many circles. On the other side, we encounter applications of other speculative physical theories, like the string/M-theory to cosmology, resulting in unusual hypotheses like those of the pre-Big Bang cosmologies. In this period we have also witnessed the birth of physical eschatology as the true ‘cosmology of the future’. This chapter will attempt a survey of these and related developments, with necessary qualifications which accompany any ongoing, evolving research activity.

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Residual Natural Evil and Anthropic Reasoning

Religious Studies ◽

10.1017/s0034412500020825 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 173-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Murdith McLean

Keyword(s):

Problem Of Evil ◽

Natural Evil ◽

The World ◽

The Problem Of Evil ◽

Anthropic Reasoning

Bad things happen; and not just to bad people, but with apparent indifference to the moral or other qualities of the victims. For the theist who believes that the world is created and governed by an all-powerful and perfectly good God, this is a notorious difficulty. In fact the problem of evil is surely the most persuasive consideration available in favour of atheism.

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Objective and Subjective Time in Anthropic Reasoning

The Evolution of Time: Studies of Time in Science, Anthropology, Theology ◽

10.2174/9781608054442113010007 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 51-71

Keyword(s):

Subjective Time ◽

Anthropic Reasoning

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Fine-Tuning Fine-Tuning

10.1093/oso/9780198798705.003.0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yoaav Isaacs

Keyword(s):

Fine Tuning ◽

Existence Of God ◽

Fundamental Physics ◽

Anthropic Reasoning ◽

Legitimate Argument

This chapter argues that the fine-tuning argument for the existence of God is a straightforwardly legitimate argument. The fine-tuning argument takes certain features of fundamental physics to confirm the existence of God because these features of fundamental physics are more likely given the existence of God than they are given the non-existence of God. And any such argument is straightforwardly legitimate, as such arguments follow a canonically legitimate form of empirical argumentation. The chapter explores various objections to the fine-tuning argument: that it requires an ill-defined notion of small changes in the laws of physics, that it over-generalizes, that it requires implausible presuppositions about divine intentions, and that it is debunked by anthropic reasoning. In each case it finds either that the putatively objectionable feature of the fine-tuning argument is inessential to it or that the putatively objectionable feature of the fine-tuning argument is not actually objectionable.

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