Restitutio 466 Scripture & Science 8: Fine-Tuning (Will Barlow)
This episode rounds out three sessions focused on physics. Today we're learning about the incredibly precise conditions required for life to exist in our universe. From the strength of gravity to the properties of carbon or water to the beauty of math and the stars, Pastor Will Barlow enumerates several key ways in which the cosmos is finely-tuned to support life. Next he covers several of the common responses atheists put forward to explain this incredible precision. Barlow briefly responds to each before concluding that the God hypothesis fits the best.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQYtxleTue0
See below for notes.
—— Links ——
- We are doing follow-up discussions to these episodes on YouTube. Check them out!
- See other episodes in this Scripture and Science Class
- Check out Barlow’s previous podcast episodes
- Learn more about and support the church Barlow and his team are starting in Louisville, KY, called Compass Christian Church
- Find more articles and audios by Barlow on his website: Study Driven Faith
- Support Restitutio by donating here
- Designate Restitutio as your charity of choice for Amazon purchases
- Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
- Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
- Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
- Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
—— Notes ——
What is fine-tuning?
Fine-tuning is the idea that the existence of life on Earth is due to remarkably precise “settings” in the natural world.
• Example: baking a cake vs. baking a “fine-tuned” cake• Example: Finding a watch in a forest
Fine-tuning in Scripture
Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Categories of fine-tuning
• Cosmological• Properties of carbon and water• Beauty in math, physics, and nature
Cosmological fine-tuning
Example One: The Balance between forces
• A 1% change in the strong nuclear force would have a 30-1,000 fold impact on oxygen and carbon production in stars• Small changes to gravity would make large life impossible• The balance between gravity and electromagnetism allows for gentler yellow stars like our Sun
“The expansion speed, the material content of the universe, and the strengths of the basic forces, seem to have been a prerequisite for the emergence of the hospitable cosmic habitat in which we live.”-Martin Rees, physicist and skeptic
Example Two: The Balance bet