DAY 178
CHALLENGE
“Modern cosmology gives us no reason to believe in God.”
DEFENSE
Elsewhere we cover the support the Big Bang gives to God’s existence (see Day 46), but there is also the fact that the universe appears to be finely tuned to allow the possibility of life.
This argument may be phrased as follows:
- The universe has a significant number of physical constants that fall within narrow ranges that allow life to develop.
- These values are either the product of design or chance.
- It is highly unlikely that they are the product of chance.
- Therefore, the physical constants of the universe are designed to al- low intelligent life to develop.
- Design requires a designer.
- Therefore, the universe has a designer.
- The designer of the universe is God.
- Therefore, modern cosmology gives us reason to believe in God.
The premises of this argument are lines 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. The conclusions (lines 4, 6, and 8) follow from them.
Line 1 is widely admitted by astronomers and physicists. Cosmolo- gist Stephen Hawking writes: “The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron. . . . The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life” (A Brief History of Time, chapter 8).
Line 2 is true by definition, understanding chance to be anything not designed.
Line 3 is supported by the fact that, if we imagine all the possible alter-native values the universe’s constants might have, it is very improbable that they would all fall within the ranges needed for intelligent life by chance.
Line 5 is required by the concept of design, which presupposes a designer, just as the concept of art presupposes an artist.
Line 7 is based on one of the most common ways of conceptualizing God—i.e., as the Creator of the universe.
TIP
This is an adaptation of the design argument presented by St. Thomas Aquinas as his “fifth way” of demonstrating God’s existence (ST I:2:3).