Stars Could Shine In Many Universes

A commonplace of cosmologists who argue the anthropic principle is the assumption that if any or a few of the constants of nature took on an even slightly different value, life could not have evolved — perhaps even stars and galaxies would not form. Science News reports on a new calculation showing that, to the contrary, star formation could happen in up to one-quarter of universes with different values of three important constants. "In fact, all universes can support the existence of stars, provided that the definition of star is interpreted broadly," said the researcher, Fred Adams. "...calculations suggest that, contrary to some previous claims, stars are not only common in our cosmos but are also ablaze in myriad other universes, where the laws of physics may be drastically different... Had Adams found that the range of parameters that allowed for stars was very small, that would have suggested that the laws of physics in our universe have been 'fine-tuned' to allow for star formation... Instead, Adams' study shows that our universe doesn't seem particularly special in that regard."

Comments

Misunderstanding of the Anthropic Principle

[Pfhorrest]

Proponents of the Anthropic Principle do not claim that universes which cannot support life are rare, or commonplace, or anything of the sort.

The Anthropic Principle merely says that we should not be surprised to find the universe conductive to our existence, even if such conditions are highly improbable, because the fact of our existence logically necessitates that we exist in a universe conductive to it.

Re:Zug zug

[mckorr]

String theory posits that there are actually 11 (or 12?) dimensions, of which only 4 are "uncoiled" at any given time. In our "universe" those 4 are the three physical dimensions (length, width, height) and time.

Taken 4 at a time you come out with something like 8000 different "universes", each with their own physical laws.

The big goal of string theory is to figure out why our 4 dimensions are the uncoiled ones. It may be that those are the only ones that give a stable "universe", or it may be that there are other universes which use a different combination of those dimensions. At this point we just don't know.

Re:Zug zug

[Khomar]

I cannot speak for Arminw, but here are the reasons why I believe the Bible.

First, unlike most religious books, much of the Bible is essentially a book about history and the reflections of its worldview as seen in historical events. This historical account has proven to be incredibly accurate -- far more so than any other writings from its time frame. It contains details that have stood up against tremendous scrutiny, and whenever someone thinks they have found an error in its account, archaeology eventually proves that the Biblical account was actually correct from the start (if you want examples, I can give you some, but for the sake of brevity, I will move on).

Further, the textual scrutiny and techniques given to ensure the accuracy of our manuscripts is unparalleled by any other work of ancient writings. The entire Old Testament except for the book of Ester was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls dating back to 100 B.C. These manuscripts were found to be nearly identical to the manuscripts that had been used to translate most versions of the Bible. This means that the Bible we have today -- especially in the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic -- are essentially identical to the original writings with an accuracy that no other ancient document can touch.

These two facts make the writing of the Bible highly reliable as a record of ancient history and culture. If the Bible is so accurate in these little things, it makes me take what it says about God, life, the state of humanity, and how we should live our lives very seriously. It is one of the few religions to state that man is basically evil -- we are all capable of horrendous acts. This, I think, best explains the sorrows and atrocities we see in the world today.

It also explains how our universe came into being. Unlike most religions, it identifies the source of all things while most theories do not. Evolution cannot explain where the matter and energy came from in the first place. The theory of aliens populating our planet does not explain where the aliens themselves came from. Reincarnation does not explain the original source of our souls. Also, where did the laws of our universe come from? Why are we able to describe mathematically how our universe works with accuracy and predictability with formulas that are simple and eloquent? If the universe is run by collective consciousness or random chance, how could such an unchanging and perfect system come into being?

The Bible identifies God as the uncaused cause -- the singularity of eternal existence from which all things derive their existence. God created the laws that govern our universe and ensures that they remain unchanged to this day. The Bible also tells us that far from being an impersonal force, God desires to have a relationship with His creation, and that the Bible was His way of communicating with us.

Regarding the apocryphal and gnostic works, there were rules and procedures for choosing which books were considered scriptural. One of the most important rules was that the author needed to be a witness of Jesus Christ or directly associated with the original Apostles. Many of the gnostic gospels were actually written two to three hundred years after the events of the New Testament. The "Gospel of Judas" was written, for example, around 290 A.D., and its account is such a vast departure from the rest of the gospels, it would be hard to argue its accuracy and be intellectually honest. Another rule was the agreement of these works with the established scriptures -- the Old Testament. In short, it was a rigorous process and ultimately, these excluded works are a red herring. The fundamental aspects of Christianity can be found throughout all of the books of the Bible so that even if you removed some of the existing books, you would lose none of the essential doctrines.

This post is already getting quite long, and so I will pass on a detailed discussion of the Trinity, but it should be noted that the roots of this doctrine can even be found in the Jewish custom of Passover, the physical manifestations of God in the Old Testament (the incarnate God, Jesus Christ) and even the use of plural forms when God speaks in Creation ("let Us create...").

I hope this has helped.