152 - Geraint F. Lewis: Is The Universe Fine-Tuned For Life?

Geraint F. Lewis is Professor of Astrophysics at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy in the University of Sydney’s School of Physics. While the focus of his research is on dark matter and energy, Geraint has written about and worked on many topics in cosmology and astrophysics more generally. In this episode, Robinson and Geraint discuss the question of fine-tuning: Our universe seems extremely well-suited for life, and with just the slightest variations in physics life as we know it would not exist. In what ways does the universe appear finely tuned, and how should we account for this?

Geraint’s Website: https://www.geraintflewis.com

A Fortunate Universe: https://a.co/d/aLKIcG5

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:34 Introduction

2:59 The Bigger Questions

05:40 Was the Earth Designed for Humans?

10:33 Fine-Tuning and the Standard Model of Particle Physics

18:40 What Is the Anthropic Principle?

28:46 Is the Weak Nuclear Force Necessary For Life?

36:36 Are The Strong and Electromagnetic Forces Necessary for Life?

52:52 The Higgs Boson and Fine-Tuning

59:23 Is Gravity Necessary for Life?

01:03:10 Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse

01:14:03 Entropy and Fine-Tuning

01:37:54 Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and Fine-Tuning

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.