"Judging by the way you're mixing your tenses I think you're missing the
point of the argument."
Actually, I think you've missed the point of mine. You say that this is the
only universe and the only there will ever be. If that is true, and if we
grant that we do not yet know how the universe originated, then we cannot
say what other outcomes are possible. In probability theory, if you have
only one possible outcome and you do not know what other outcomes are
possible, then you cannot say what the probability of that outcome, or in
fact any outcome, would be. As such, by default, the probability of that
one and only outcome is 1. So you cannot say the universe is improbable and
Pim cannot say it is probable; it simply is. However, once we have a better
idea of what other outcomes are possible, then maybe we could assign
probabilities to the existence of the universe.
"What factors determine these laws?"
The physical nature of the universe.
"But I'm wondering at this point if there were factors more basic than the
laws of the universe that governed the formation of the laws themselves.
Were there any factors that were constant through the Planck Era and into
the post-Planck Era?"
If there were, they would not be physical factors, because no physical
factor could exist independent of the universe, which it would have to to be
unaffected by conditions during the Planck Era. If that's the case, then we
are now talking about mysticism, about "vital" forces that order and control
the universe. Is that what you mean?
Kevin L. O'Brien