AI Practice Knowledge BaseCounterintuitive Facts (19): You Think the Universe Is Perfect Only Because You Haven't Died Yet
PremiumAnthropic Principle: The universe wasn't born for you, you just happened to luck into existing in this universe
I. You might marvel: the universe is so amazing! If Earth were 1% closer to the sun, water would evaporate; 1% farther, water would freeze. If the gravitational constant were slightly larger, the universe would have collapsed immediately after the Big Bang; slightly smaller, matter would be too dispersed for stars to form. If the strong nuclear force were slightly weaker, hydrogen atoms couldn't fuse into heavier elements; slightly stronger, all hydrogen would have fused instantly after the universe was born. If the ratio of electromagnetic force to gravity had any deviation, chemical reactions would be impossible.
II. Thousands of physical constants, each must fall within an extremely narrow range. Any slight deviation, and there would be no stars, no planets, no water, no carbon, no life
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