Life in a Random Universe: Sciamaʼs Argument Reconsidered

Zhi-Wei Wang; Samuel Leon Braunstein

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad1994

Life in a Random Universe: Sciamaʼs Argument Reconsidered

Zhi-Wei Wang^*, Samuel Leon Braunstein

^*Corresponding author for this work

Computer Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Random sampling in high dimensions has successfully been applied to phenomena as diverse as nuclear resonances, neural networks, and black hole evaporation. Here we revisit an elegant argument by the British physicist Dennis Sciama, who demonstrated that were our Universe random, it would almost certainly have a negligible chance for life. Under plausible assumptions, we show that a random universe can masquerade as “intelligently designed,” with the fundamental constants instead appearing to be fined tuned to achieve the highest probability for life to occur. For our Universe, this mechanism may only require there to be around a dozen currently unknown fundamental constants. We speculate on broader applications for the mechanism we uncover.

Original language	English
Article number	55
Number of pages	8
Journal	The Astrophysical Journal
Volume	962
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1994
Publication status	Published - 7 Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Anthropic principle
Cosmology
Astrobiology
Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Access to Document

10.3847/1538-4357/ad1994

Life in a Random Universe - Sciamaʼs Argument Reconsidered ApJ 2024
© 2024. The Author(s).
Final published version, 758 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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KW - Astrobiology

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