The Teleological Argument: An Exploration of the Fine‐Tuning of the Universe

Collins, Robin

doi:10.1002/9781444308334.ch4

Cited by 83 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…1 The finding that life requires finely tuned parameters has been cited as support for the idea of divine creation (e.g. Swinburne 2004;Collins 2012), but the multiverse idea may offer an attractive non-theistic alternative: if there is a sufficiently diverse multiverse where the parameters vary between universes, it is only to be expected that there is at least one universe where they are right for life. Trivially, observations can only be made where the parameters are right for life, 2 and the multiverse inhabitants-if there are any-will unavoidably measure apparently fine-tuned parameters.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The double counting worry can be formulated succinctly when set up as an objection against the fine-tuning argument for the multiverse in its Bayesian formulation, using subjective probabilities. The assessment of this formulation is complicated, however, by the fact that, as pointed out by Monton (2006), Leeds (2007), and Collins (2012), the finetuning of the parameters is inevitably old evidence for us: that the parameters are right for life is something that we have long known, even if we may assess the fine-tuning's rational significance only now. This means that to properly investigate the double counting charge in Bayesian terms, we must, at least provisionally, adopt some solution to Bayesianism's long-standing problem of old evidence (Glymour 1980).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Fine-tuning as Old Evidence, Double Counting, and the Multiverse

Friederich

2017

International Studies in the Philosophy of Science

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The idea that there might be multiple universes with different parameters of nature is often considered an attractive response to the finding that various parameters appear to be delicately finetuned for life. The present paper investigates whether the appeal to fine-tuning can legitimately be combined with an appeal to independent empirical evidence for other universes or whether, as suggested by Cory Juhl, combining such appeals inevitably results in illegitimate double counting of the finding that the parameters are right for life. In doing so, the paper takes into account the fact that the parameters' life-friendliness is old evidence for us, which makes Bayesianism's problem of old evidence relevant to Bayesian analysis of its evidential impact. Ultimately, the verdict reached is that the warning of double counting is helpful, but that double counting can in principle be avoided. The paper highlights remaining independent challenges against the fine-tuning argument for the multiverse.

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Fine-tuning as Old Evidence, Double Counting, and the Multiverse

Friederich

2017

International Studies in the Philosophy of Science

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“…Attempts to give the Design Argument a quantitative turn (Swinburne 2004;Collins 2009) make things even worse (Bradley 2002;Halvorson 2014). Such attempt are typically based on Bayesian Confirmation Theory.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…(Kenny 1969, p. 116). Everitt (2004) distinguishes between the Argument to Design and the Argument from Order, respectively, both of which may still be found in modern Christian apologists such as Swinburne (2004), Küng (2005), and Collins (2009), rebutted by e.g., Everitt (2004) and Philipse (2012). It is clear from his writings (such as the General Scholium in Principia) that Isaac Newton supported the Argument from Design, followed by Bentley (1692).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…therein. Note that a fine-tuning intelligent Creator is still a long shot from the Christian God whom Swinburne (2004), Küng (2005), and Collins (2009) Design remains a vulnerable idea. 26 For the sake of argument we do not question the coherence of the idea of an intelligent Creator as such, although such a spirit seems chimerical (Everitt 2004;Philipse 2012).…”

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The Fine-Tuning Argument: Exploring the Improbability of Our Existence

Landsman¹

2016

The Frontiers Collection

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A mild form of satire may be the appropriate antidote. Imagine, if you will, the wonderment of a species of mud worms who discover that if the constant of thermometric conductivity of mud were different by a small percentage they would not be able to survive. (Earman 1987, p. 314).Abstract Our laws of nature and our cosmos appear to be delicately fine-tuned for life to emerge, in a way that seems hard to attribute to chance. In view of this, some have taken the opportunity to revive the scholastic Argument from Design, whereas others have felt the need to explain this apparent fine-tuning of the clockwork of the Universe by proposing the existence of a 'Multiverse'. We analyze this issue from a sober perspective. Having reviewed the literature and having added several observations of our own, we conclude that cosmic fine-tuning supports neither Design nor a Multiverse, since both of these fail at an explanatory level as well as in the more quantitative context of Bayesian confirmation theory (although there might be other reasons to believe in these ideas, to be found in religion and in inflation and/or string theory, respectively). In fact, fine-tuning and Design even seem to be at odds with each other, whereas the inference from fine-tuning to a Multiverse only works if the latter is underwritten by an additional metaphysical hypothesis we consider unwarranted. Instead, we suggest that fine-tuning requires no special explanation at all, since it is not the Universe that is fine-tuned for life, but life that has been fine-tuned to the Universe.

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Problems for Christian Natural Theology

Pruss

Gale

2012

The Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity

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The Teleological Argument: An Exploration of the Fine‐Tuning of the Universe

Cited by 83 publications

References 40 publications

Fine-tuning as Old Evidence, Double Counting, and the Multiverse

Fine-tuning as Old Evidence, Double Counting, and the Multiverse

The Fine-Tuning Argument: Exploring the Improbability of Our Existence

Problems for Christian Natural Theology

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