Apologetics Lane: The Big Bang, Multiverses, and the Anthropic Principle Discussed by William Lane Craig

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

The Big Bang, Multiverses, and the Anthropic Principle Discussed by William Lane Craig

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Did We Just Get Lucky?

Besides the objections to the World Ensemble that Craig made in the above videos, here are other features of the world in which we live that make the concept of the world ensemble less plausible as an explanation of the fine-tuning we find in the universe.

1. The correlation between life and scientific discovery (i.e. the Privileged Planet Hypothesis)

2. Gratuitous beauty. For example of the beauty of butterflies. I recommend watching the DVD video Metamorphosis: The Beauty and Design of Butterflies (here's a preview)

3. Gratuitous pleasures. For example, think of all the various molecules and chemicals needed to produce delicious food. For the possible existence of such molecules and chemicals requires the fine-tuning of the universe that we have. But just because a universe is fine-tuned, it doesn't necessitate that there be such chemicals or molecules. That's just one of the various pleasures in the world.

4. Multiple brains or minds that can interact with each other. The probabilities of multiple observers in one universe is less likely than just one Boltzmann brain existing in a delusional solipsism. If you believe in multiple minds in this universe, then that makes the world ensemble less likely as the explanation for this universe's fine-tuning.

5. The possibility of rational creatures being able to reproduce to multiply the number of rational creatures in existence.

6. Gratuitous sense of morality among sentient rational creatures.

7. Gratuitous sense of love among sentient rational creatures.

8. Given quantum mechanics and the multiverse theory things popping into existence (seemingly causelessly) is not only possible but likely. Yet, why don't we see such things occur publicly on a regular basis?

9. Even superheroes might actually exist (see for example HERE, and HERE [#5] ). Why don't we see them in our universe? As a Christian I believe there are supernatural entities like angels and demons who affect the world in hidden covert ways. Some might ask why I don't believe they might actually be these entities that the multiverse allows for? Given an atheistic version of the multiverse theory, that's a possibility. But why do these entities seem walk on a thin line between over and covert activities rather than manifesting publicly? Their behavior seems to be more in line with a Christian theistic worldview (with or without a multiverse) than an atheistic multiverse worldview. In the Christian worldview angels don't want to attract attention to themselves, but rather to God. While God has his purposes for veiling his existence to some degree or another (see for example HERE and HERE). Also, in a Christian worldview demons only want to attract attention to themselves only if it will lead to greater evil. If demons openly revealed themselves it would lead more people out of atheism. Something which demons wouldn't want. Demons would want humans to either not believe in them (and so allow for atheists to continue on their way to hell); or they would want humans to believe in them so that they either live in fear of them or think they have power over demons to do their bidding. When in actuality they are doing the malevolent will of those demons.

I personally don't believe that the concept of a multiverse is necessarily inconsistent with Christianity. What I do object to is appealing to the multiverse to explain fine-tuning away (and hence remove the need for a personal Creator).

Related videos

https://youtu.be/5c97Peb50IA
How Could One Argue that the Universe Didn't Have A Cause?

https://youtu.be/TK-X3x9tyqY
What about Multiverses and Parallel Universes due to Chance?

https://youtu.be/7FS78DPliLM

Does the World Ensemble Hypothesis Violate the Canons of Science?
(here Craig honestly admits that we should take the multiverse theory seriously)

Would Multiple Universes Undermine God? Interview of Robin Collins
Part 1. http://youtu.be/u9VE8dF6zDw
Part 2. http://youtu.be/QGEPGF-09Wc

More videos of Robin Collins being interviewed:
http://misclane.blogspot.com/2013/06/robin-collins-interviews.html