>Physicists generally expect a more fundamental theory will eventually come
>along, one with fewer "free parameters." If this new fundamental theory
>has just as much "fine tuning" as the standard model, theists won't mind a
>bit. However, most atheists are hoping that the new fundamental theory
>will do one of two things:
>
>1) The new fundamental theory will have very few or no free parameters,
>and the apparent "fine tuning" will simply be the logical consequences of
>any self-consistent theory.
Of course the fact that we expect self-consistent theories to _have_
logical consequences says something about the design of nature.
>
>2) The new fundamental theory will predict, as a natural (non ad-hoc)
>consequence, that there are a vast number of causally disconnected
>universes, each with their own set of physical constants.
>
>Suppose one of these two possibilities really does happen? Would it be a
>serious blow to the design-from-fine-tuning argument? Yes. Would it be a
>serious blow to theism? No. (Neither can answer the question of why the
>universe exists at all.) HOWEVER, if we (collectively) put too much
>emphasis on the design-from-fine-tuning argument, we might generate the
>APPEARANCE that theism was harmed.
An excellent point. I think we have to constantly keep in mind _why_ we
think about the implications of science for Christian belief. There are
sound reasons and unsound. If we study nature because we believe that the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has made a rational universe, and we can
learn something of His methods by studying His works, that IMO is a sound
reason. If however, we begin to believe that we need a set of "proofs from
nature" that help us to keep our certainty that He really exists, then I
think we are misapplying science, as well as potentially undermining the
faith of some who might take our theorizing as the ground of their faith.
Bill Hamilton | Chassis & Vehicle Systems
GM R&D Center | Warren, MI 48090-9055
810 986 1474 (voice) | 810 986 3003 (FAX)
hamilton@gmr.com (office) | whamilto@mich.com (home)