The fine tuning argument is a powerful evidence of design that has come out of physics. There are very specific numbers that are the building blocks of our universe. It does not matter whether we are talking about subatomic particles or whole galaxies. They all rely on these numbers which are called the fundamental constants and quantities. In this article, we will look at some of those numbers, their importance, and what prominent physicists say about these numbers.
Fine tuning in our universe: There are some numbers in physics that are so specific, that if you would´ve changed them a little bit the universe would stop existing. These are numbers such as the mass of an electron, the mass of quark, the strength of gravity, the strength of the electromagnetic field, the strong nuclear force, and many more. The question arises why do these numbers have the values that they do? Maybe they are simply random numbers, maybe they came by chance, or maybe they were picked specifically by an intelligent creator. These constants are very, very precise and finely tuned numbers. Changing them just a tiny amount would destroy the balance of the universe and life or existence of any kind would not be possible. We are talking about a couple of dozen of numbers here. We will look at some of them closer and their effects on our existence.
Fine Tuning in Gravity
Let´s look at gravity first. F = G(m1m2)/R2. The G in the law of gravitation is called the gravitational constant. The force of gravity is determined by this fundamental constant. Changing this constant just so slightly would end up in disaster. Leonard Susskind is a theoretical physicist and researcher on string theory, quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics, and quantum cosmology. Let´s see what he has to say about it.
“If it (the gravitational constant) were just a little bit stronger, stars would burn out too quickly, they wouldn´t live long enough for life to evolve, instead of stars we would have black holes,…”
Fine Tuning seen in Cosmological Constant
This one is a particularly finely tuned number. The expansion rate of the universe is calculated with the cosmological constant. The expansion rate of the universe plays a critical role in the very beginning of the universe.
The Big Bang Example:
We all know the big bang. The big bang theory explains the very beginning of the universe second after second and even in smaller time frames. Alan Harvey Guth is an American theoretical physicist and cosmologist who has researched elementary particle theory and how particle theory is applicable to the early universe. This is what he has to say about the expansion rate and its critical accuracy.
“If we go back to say one second after the big bang, at that point the expansion rate and the mass density have to have been adjusted to each other just right so that the universe is just at this critical point. If the universe at that point were expanding just one part in 15th decimal place faster which is 0.000000000000001 faster the universe´s expansion rate would have been too great for the galaxies ever having the chance to form. On the other hand, if the expansion rate would have been just one part of the 15th decimal place slower (-0.000000000000001) the universe would in fact expanded to a maximum size and collapsed without reaching the state in which we are living.”
What the physicists say about the fine tuning of the universe:
"...about 20 numbers, that describe features of our world, but nobody knows why it is, that those numbers have the particular values that they do. Now you can easily say: who really cares? You change the mass of an electron by a little bit. Does it really matter? And the answer is: it does! ... Even a small change of the known values of those numbers (fundamental constants) would cause the world as we know it to disappear."
"Everything seems to be almost on a knife-edge, that if you were to change the laws of physics a little bit, the world as we know it wouldn´t exist."
"Wherever physicists look, they see examples of fine tuning"
"The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life."
"The really amazing thing is not that life on Earth is balanced on a knife-edge, but that the entire universe is balanced on a knife-edge, and would be total chaos if any of the natural 'constants' were off even slightly."
"If you change a little bit the laws of nature, or you change a little bit the constants of nature - like the charge on the electron - then the way the universe develops is so changed, it is very likely that intelligent life would not have been able to develop."
"If we nudge one of these constants just a few percent in one direction, stars burn out within a million years of their formation, and there is no time for evolution. If we nudge it a few percent in the other direction, then no elements heavier than helium form. No carbon, no life. Not even any chemistry. No complexity at all."
"If anyone claims not to be surprised by the special features that the universe has, he is hiding his head in the sand. These special features are surprising and unlikely."
"The fact that the universe exhibits many features that foster organic life - such as precisely those physical constants that result in planets and long-lived stars - also has led some scientists to speculate that some divine influence may be present."
"A common-sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintendent has monkeyed with the physics, as well as chemistry and biology and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. I do not believe that any physicist who examined the evidence could fail to draw the inference that the laws of nuclear physics have been deliberately designed with regard to the consequences they produce within stars."
"There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all. . . It seems as though somebody has fine tuned nature's numbers to make the Universe. . . The impression of design is overwhelming."
"It may seem bizarre, but in my opinion science offers a surer path to God than religion."
What the holy books say about the fine tuning of the universe:
˹He is the One˺ Who created seven heavens, one above the other. You will never see any imperfection in the creation of the Most Compassionate. So look again: do you see any flaws? Then look again and again—your sight will return frustrated and weary.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
