The Finely Tuned Universe

In recent decades, the argument that our universe was designed by an intelligent creator rather than simply “popping” into existence by chance has been infused with new energy by scientific findings that suggest that it was “fine-tuned” to support life.

In a previous article on “Intelligent Design” I laid out the case for the proposal that creation possesses features that seem to point to a cosmic designer. The complexity of DNA and the structural components of the human eye were among the examples given. Of all the evidence for a designer, however, the fine-tuning of the universe may be the most compelling as it relies upon the indisputable scientific fact that the fundamental constants and quantities of nature that must all be in place to support life are not only present in our universe but exist within exquisitely narrow ranges. A few examples: Oxygen makes up 21 percent of the atmosphere. If it were 25 percent fires would break out all over and if it were 15 percent all humans would suffocate, If the universe were expanding at a rate one millionth more slowly than it is, the temperature on Earth would be 10,000 degrees. If gravity were altered by 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000001 the sun would not exist and the moon would crash into Earth.

Nasa scientist, Mark Horton made the astounding claim that if the balance between gravity and the expansion rate were altered by one part in one million, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, there would be no galaxies, stars, planets, or life.

It has been estimated that over one hundred of these “anthropic” constants exist suggesting a mind-boggling statistical probability against life on Earth occurring by chance.

Astrophysicist Hugh Ross has calculated the odds against all of these to have fallen into place by “luck” alone to be one chance in ten with 38 zeroes after it.

But it isn’t only theists who have taken notice of these recent discoveries as this quote from a noted atheist astronomer indicates:

A common sense interpretation of the facts suggest that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind force worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question.

-Sir Fred Hoyle

One assault that atheists make against the fine-tuning argument is called the multi-verse theory which proposes that ours is not the only universe but rather one of many. The goal of this theory is to overcome the mathematical improbability of our universe having the necessary conditions for life. In other words, if our universe is just one of many then maybe it isn’t so unique after all. The only problem with this argument is that there is absolutely no evidence to support it. It is simply an attempt to evade the reality of a creator.

Another response from skeptics is to criticize theists for arrogantly believing that human beings are so special. To the charge of believing in a special status, Christians must plead guilty. That all human beings, and only human beings are made in the image of God, is clearly taught in Scripture and is a fundamental component of the Christian worldview. This Imago Dei is what separates us from the rest of God’s creation. It is the thing that makes us unique in the universe and set apart from the animals. It confers upon us dignity and instills in us a sense of morality. Within the context of the Christian worldview it makes perfect sense that the universe would be specially designed to support human life.

A brief six minute video on the fine-tuning of the universe can be found here.