God, Fine-Tuning, and the Problem of Old Evidence

Monton, Bradley (2005) God, Fine-Tuning, and the Problem of Old Evidence. In .

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Abstract

The fundamental constants that are involved in the laws of physics which describe our universe are finely-tuned for life, in the sense that if some of the constants had slightly different values life could not exist. Some people hold that this provides evidence for the existence of God. I will present a probabilistic version of this fine-tuning argument which is stronger than all other versions in the literature. Nevertheless, I will show that one can have reasonable opinions such that the fine-tuning argument doesn’t lead to an increase in one’s probability for the existence of God.

Keywords:fine-tuning argument, teleological argument, ur-probability, many universes
Subjects:Specific Sciences: Probability/Statistics
Specific Sciences: Physics: Cosmology
General Issues: Science and Religion
ID Code:2217
Deposited By:Monton, Bradley
Deposited On:01 March 2005
Additional Information:This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0346934. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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