Why does the anthropic philosophy of cosmology disturb physicists?

M

Mr stupid questions

New member
Why is it that the anthropic view of our cosmos are so disturbing to some physicists?

I think we are where we are and all the constants in nature are the way they are because we live in this particular bubble of the cosmos that makes life and humans possible.

No need to get religion into it. Things are the way it is because we evolved in the universe that just happen to make life possible.

Why is that so hard to "buy"?
 
It is plausible, but the problem with it for a scientist is that it is untestable. There are a number of 'high level' physics theories which have the same problem. Most of the 'string theories' have this drawback.
 
It's not so much that most particle theoriests don't "buy" it, but they don't want it to be true. They like to think there's a reason for things, and they can solve for it. Because the anthropic principle is untestable, accepting it is essentially giving up and accepting that the question is beyond the bounds of scientific inquiry.

Now even if physicists don't care much for the anthropic principle, they know that basic cosmogenical questions like that aren't now and won't soon be answerable by experiment. So although it makes for interesting discussions for regular folks, it's not something that they waste a lot of time worrying about.
 
Back
Top