Antropic Cosomological Principl

Anthropic Cosmological Principle

WAP, SAP, FAP…those of you who have jumped into Frank Tipler and John Barrow’s 700+ page volume The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1986) know what these acronyms stand for: the Weak, Strong, and Final Anthropic Principles, respectively. Those of you wanting a less daunting introduction to this philosophical side of cosmology (and origins) should read “A ‘What You See Is What You Beget’ Theory,” by Tony Rothman, Discover , May 1987, pp. 90-99. Rothman gives a good introduction to some of the relevant terminology and debates, and concludes:

It’s not a big stop from the SAP [Strong Anthropic Principle] to the Argument from Design. You know the Argument from Design: it says that the universe was made very precisely, and were it ever so slightly different, man wouldn’t be here. Therefore Someone must have made it. … When confronted with the order and beauty of the universe and the strange coincidences of nature, it’s very tempting to take the leap of faith from science into religion. I am sure many physicists want to. I only wish they would admit it. (p. 99)


Origins Talk RBBS * (314) 821-1078 Missouri Association for Creation, Inc. 405 North Sappington Road Glendale, MO 63122-4729 (314) 821-1234 Also call: Students for Origins Research CREVO BBS (719) 528-1363