Are the psychophysical laws fine-tuned?
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Are the psychophysical laws fine‑tuned? Dan Cavedon‑Taylor1 Received: 7 November 2019 / Accepted: 15 November 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Neil Sinhababu (Am Philos Q 54(1):89–98, 2017) has recently argued against the fine-tuning argument for God. They claim that the question of the universe’s finetuning ought not be ‘why is the universe so hospitable to life?’ but rather ‘why is the universe so hospitable to morally valuable minds?’ and that, moreover, the universe isn’t so hospitable. For it is metaphysically possible that psychophysical laws be substantially more permissive than they in fact are, allowing for the realisation of morally valuable consciousness by exceptionally simple physical states and systems, rather than the complex states of brains. I reply that Sinhababu’s argument rests upon unsupported claims and that we have reason to doubt that an omnibenevolent God would make the psychophysical laws more permissive than they in fact are. Keywords Embodiment · Fine-tuning · Psychophysical laws
Introduction Physical cosmologists claim that the universe is balanced on a razor’s-edge as far as human life is concerned. Our existence would be impossible had not various forces and constants taken the values that they in fact do. In some cases, minute differences in those values would have entailed a universe devoid of any structure, let alone the complexity to support life. Three examples of such fine-tuning observations are as follows: Gravity Gravity needs fine tuning for stars and planets to form, and for stars to burn stably over billions of years. It is roughly 1 039 times weaker than electromagnetism. Had it been only 1 033 times weaker, stars would be a billion times less massive and would burn a million times faster. (Leslie 1989, p. 5). * Dan Cavedon‑Taylor dan.cavedon‑[email protected] 1
The Open University, MK, UK
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International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
Rate of expansion of the early universe If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in 100 thousand million million, the universe would have collapsed before it ever reached its present size. (Hawking 1998, p. 126). Strong nuclear force Calculations indicate that if the strong nuclear force, the force that binds protons and neutrons together in an atom, had been stronger or weaker by as little as 5%, life would be impossible. (Collins 1999, p. 49). These observations are surprising. The relevant forces and constants could have taken any one of a vast number of values. So why the ones that they in fact did? What explains the life-friendliness of the universe along so many dimensions? In answer, theists hypothesise a fine-tuning agent, i.e. God, who set the dials ‘just right’, without which the fine-tuning observations would be unacceptably improbable. Various non-theistic responses have been offered (see Manson 2009): one might challenge the fine-tuning observations; accept them, but challenge their interpretation or need for explanation; or else accept th
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