The Weak Anthropic Principle and the Design Argument

Abstract. The design argument for God's existence was critically assessed when in the growth of modern science the cognitive value of ideological categories was called into question. In recent discussions dealing with anthropic principles there has appeared a new version of the design argument,...

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Autore principale: Życínski, Joseph M. (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
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Pubblicazione: Wiley-Blackwell 1996
In: Zygon
Anno: 1996, Volume: 31, Fascicolo: 1, Pagine: 115-130
Altre parole chiave:B Anthropic Principle
B Design Argument
B Ideology
B Necessity
B Cosmology
B cosmic isotropy
B Logos
B physical laws
B unified theory
B Chance
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Riepilogo:Abstract. The design argument for God's existence was critically assessed when in the growth of modern science the cognitive value of ideological categories was called into question. In recent discussions dealing with anthropic principles there has appeared a new version of the design argument, in which cosmic design is described without the use of ideological terms. The weak anthropic principle (WAP), a most critical version of all these principles, describes the fine-tuning of physical parameters necessary lo the genesis of carbon-based life. It defines no physical mechanisms of the observed coordination between physical parameters. If in a future unified physical theory such mechanisms are discovered, the weak anthropic principle should be replaced by the strong anthropic principle, which asserts the physical necessity of fine-tuning. Neither of the versions can be regarded as physically trivial unless one accepts strong assumptions of the existence of parallel universes. Consequently, a new version of the philosophical design argument can be developed on the basis of the weak anthropic principle.
ISSN:1467-9744
Comprende:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1996.tb00014.x