Members of some religious communities often distribute brochures to passers-by that describe the uniqueness of our planet.
The booklets tell about the unusualness of water, which at 4 ° C has a maximum density, and when it cools below this temperature, it begins to expand, about the amazing distance from the Earth to the Sun, which gives us a mild climate on the planet … There are enough other factors without which life in our the world would be impossible. Based on these facts, it is concluded that humanity owes its existence to God the Creator.
Accidents are not accidental…
Of course, the reasoning of Jehovah's Witnesses and followers of other religious teachings looks naive, but among scientists it is pointed out that for the emergence of life in general, and intelligent life in particular, many unusual coincidences were required. True, here we are talking about physical constants. However, the very ratio of fundamental physical parameters is so nontrivial that it surprises the scientists themselves. As a way out, the “Anthropic principle” was formulated (in Greek, “anthropos” means a person).
The anthropic principle was proposed by the English mathematician B. Carter in 1973 with the aim of explaining the connection between the physical properties of the Universe and the existence of an observer in it, that is, a person. There are strong and weak anthropic principles, and the second is an integral part of the first.
The strong anthropic principle has several formulations, the general meaning of which is as follows:
In 1983, the American John Wheeler created his own formulation of the strong anthropic principle, which stated that observers were a prerequisite for the universe to be. In other words, the universe does not exist without observers.
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The weak anthropic principle looks more lenient with respect to the existence of observers and the cosmological constants we know. It also has various formulations, which can be summarized as follows:
Taking this into account, it can be assumed that there are parts of the Universe where the constants we are used to have completely different meanings, but intelligent life cannot develop under such conditions.
Are physical constants constants?
The main support point of the anthropic principle is the assumption that the physical constants and laws observed by mankind are not the only ones that existed or exist now.
This means that there are (or were) different parts of the Universe (and maybe other Universes) in which other physical laws and constants are realized (realized).
Scientists analyzed the possibility of having different laws and constants depending on time and space, this led to the following conclusions:
- If there is only a single Universe, then in the process of its endless evolution the physical constants constantly change their values, until they take acceptable values for the origin of life and its development into an intelligent phase.
- The only Universe can be divided into many non-interacting regions, in each of which the physical constants have different values. In those parts of the Universe where the combination of physical constants is favorable, evolution leads to the emergence of intelligent observers.
- The existence of a large number of parallel worlds (the Multiverse) is possible, each of which realizes its own values of physical constants.
- Wheeler's anthropic principle indicates that only the presence of an observer makes the universe really existing. This is due to the fact that an extremely intelligent observer is capable of carrying out a reduction of a quantum state (that is, transferring various quantum states into one concrete real one).