from galaxies and stars
down to atoms and subatomic particles
the very structure of our universe is
determined by these numbers
these
are the fundamental constants and
quantities of the universe
scientists have come to the shocking
realization that each of these numbers
has been carefully dialed to an
astonishingly precise value a value that
falls within an exceedingly narrow life
permitting range
if any one of these numbers were altered
by even a hair's breadth
no physical interactive life of any kind
could exist anywhere
there'd be no stars
no life
no planets
no chemistry
consider gravity for example
the force of gravity is determined by
the gravitational constant
if this constant varied by just one in
10 to the 60th parts
none of us would exist
to understand how exceedingly narrow
this life-permitting range is imagine a
dial divided into 10 to the 60th
increments
to get a handle on how many tiny points
on the dial this is compare it to the
number of cells in your body
or the number of seconds that have
ticked by since time began
if the gravitational constant had been
out of tune by just one of these
infinitesimally small increments the
universe would either have expanded and
thinned out so rapidly that no stars
could form and life couldn't exist
or it would have collapsed back on
itself with the same result no stars no
planets and no life
or consider the expansion rate of the
universe
this is driven by the cosmological
constant a change in its value by a mere
one part in 10 to the 120th parts would
cause the universe to expand too rapidly
or too slowly in either case the
universe would again be life prohibiting
or another example of fine-tuning
if the mass and energy of the early
universe were not evenly distributed to
an incomprehensible precision of one
part in 10 to the 10 to the 123rd the
universe would be hostile to life of any
kind
the fact is
our universe permits physical
interactive life only because these and
many other numbers have been
independently and exquisitely balanced
on a razor's edge
wherever physicists look they see
examples of fine tuning
the remarkable fact is that the values
of these numbers seem to have been very
finely adjusted to make possible the
development of life
if anyone claims not to be surprised by
the special features that the universe
has he's hiding his head in the sand
these special features are surprising
and unlikely
what is the best explanation for this
astounding phenomenon
[Music]
there are three live options the fine
tuning of the universe is due to either
physical necessity
chance
or design
which of these options is the most
plausible
according to this alternative the
universe must be life permitting the
precise values of these constants and
quantities could not be otherwise
but is this plausible is a life
prohibiting universe impossible
far from it it's not only possible it's
far more likely than a life permitting
universe the constants and quantities
are not determined by the laws of nature
there's no reason or evidence suggests
that fine tuning is necessary
how about chance
did we just get really really really
really lucky
no
the probabilities involved are so
ridiculously remote as to put the
fine-tuning well beyond the reach of
chance
so in an effort to keep this option
alive some have gone beyond empirical
science and opted for a more speculative
approach
known as the multiverse
they imagine
a universe generator
that cranks out such a vast number of
universes that odds are
life permitting universes will
eventually pop out
however
there's no scientific evidence for the
existence of this multiverse
it cannot be detected observed measured
or proved
and the universe generator itself would
require an enormous amount of fine
tuning
furthermore small patches of order are
far more probable than big ones
so the most probable observable universe
would be a small one inhabited by a
single simple observer
but what we actually observe is the very
thing that we should least expect a vast
spectacularly complex highly ordered
universe inhabited by billions of other
observers
so even if the multiverse existed which
is a moot point it wouldn't do anything
to explain the fine tuning
[Music]
given the implausibility of physical
necessity or chance
the best explanation for why the
universe is fine-tuned for life may very
well be
it was designed that way
[Music]
a common sense interpretation of the
facts suggests that a super intellect
monkeyed with physics and that there are
no blind forces worth speaking about in
nature the numbers one calculates from
the facts seem to me so overwhelming as
to put this conclusion almost beyond
question
there is for me powerful evidence that
there is something going on behind it
all it seems as though somebody has
fine-tuned nature's numbers to make the
universe the impression of design is
overwhelming
the heavens declare the glory of god
the skies proclaim the work of his hands
day after day they pour forth speech
night after night they reveal knowledge
you