On the Misanthropic Principle

            On the Misanthropic Principle

 

             Cosmologists recently have been speculating about an “anthropic principle”, an alleged fine-tuning of the constants of physics in favor of life. I am skeptical; until astronomers get observations of alternate possible universes, there is no way to tell what the odds are for life for universes in general. We can only observe this universe.

            And when we observe this universe, do we see one fine-tuned for life? I think not. 99.99999+ percent of the universe, by volume, is cold dark irradiated vacuum, utterly devoid of all life, and indeed of much anything. Of the small fraction that’s not hard vacuum, most of it is star fire.

            In fact we know of only one planet with life on it, our own. Mars just might have bacteria on it, and maybe there’s life under the ice on Europa, or in Enceladus, or on Titan. Maybe. But even if every moon and every planet in the entire universe were crammed with life, still life would remain a minuscule fraction of the universe, whether measured by space, mass/energy, or information. And it took the universe 13,800,000,000 years to produce what little life it has.

            Therefore the universe, considered as an engine for generating life, is remarkably inefficient. In fact I say that it is fine-tuned, but not for the production of life, but against it. It isn’t 100% lifeless, so it isn’t perfectly tuned against life, but it is 99.999999+% lifeless, and that’s pretty good fine tuning.

            I call that the Misanthropic Principle. It states that the Universe is so made to have as little life in it as possible. To confirm this, you need merely go outdoors one night and point your telescope at the Moon.

            Looking at the night sky leads me to suspect that the universe is fine-tuned for the production of cold dark irradiated vacuum. What purpose that serves escapes me.