FINE-TUNING ARGUMENT | KAIROS GLOBAL | DECEMBER 2022

Author: Aby Jacob

Intro: In this third part, Aby Jacob explains the fine-tuning argument for the existence of God. 

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD PART 3

The existence of God is foundational to building a positive case for theological truths. If God does not exist, it is a waste of time trying to defend any matters related to God. But if God exists, it matters more than any other thing in the world because our life’s existence, meaning, value, purpose, and eternal destiny are dependent on him. My previous articles attempted to present several classical arguments for the existence of God. Perhaps you think, ‘why am I giving more and more arguments for God?’ By giving multiple arguments for God's existence, I aim to build an unshakable foundation to construct further a robust systematic defense for the truth of the Christian faith. I hope you will pay attention to all these reasons as we continue this journey of knowing the truth with greater clarity. Before I deal with this article's specific topic, I like to summarise the previously presented arguments for God’s existence as follows. 

We have learned that the universe did not have to exist necessarily. It could have been nothing at all. Since the universe exists instead of nothing at all, it requires a Necessary and Sufficient Reason for its existence, which must be God. Additionally, we have learned that the universe had a finite beginning which requires a Causal Agent that transcends time, space, matter, and energy. Moreover, we have seen that every complex and specified design points to an Intelligent Agent. With all these reasons and evidence that points to the Creator, I want to direct your mind to another remarkable argument for God’s existence from design in the operation of the universe (fine-tuning argument). 

We live in a vast universe. Every human being appreciates the beauty of nature. It is beautiful to gaze at the night sky experiencing a sense of marvel and astonishment, seeing the stars, the moon, the planets, and all other visible objects moving through the solar system. People travel worldwide to experience nature's wonders, even though most people do not know how nature functions. On the other hand, scientists who study the cosmos aim ‘to unveil the inner workings of nature, the rules, and properties.’ⁱ Consequently, the results continue to give mind-blowing data of fine-tuning in the universe's operation in order for advanced life to be possible on the planet Earth as if the universe is placed on a razor edge for that possibility of life. 

It is important to note that when physicists use the term ‘fine-tuning’, they do not mean whether a fine-tuner exists or not. ‘Fine-tuning’ is a metaphor which is a technical term in physics that refers to the contrast between a wide range of possibilities and a narrow range of a particular outcome or phenomenon.ⁱⁱ Philosopher William Lane Craig defines ‘fine-tuning’ as follows: 

By ‘fine-tuning’, one means that a small deviation from the actual values of the constants and quantities in question renders the universe life-prohibiting or, alternatively, that the range of life-permitting values is extremely narrow in comparison with the range of assumable values. ⁱⁱⁱ

According to the anthropic principle, the universe appears fine-tuned for the existence of human life. Astronomy and physics show that the emergence of humans and human civilisation requires physical constants, laws, and properties in a narrow range. This razor-edge fine-tuning applies to the entire universe and the local features of the galaxy, the solar system, and the planet earth. Many scientists have pondered this question, ‘Is there life outside the planet Earth?’ This question encouraged many scientists to search for extraterrestrial planets. The exoplanet research has contributed to our understanding of the nature and design of our solar system's planets. It became clearer that our solar system is incredibly fine-tuned, that advanced life is possible on Earth. It is also clear that no other planets in the solar system can support advanced life. In his book, How to Find a Habitable Planet, NASA's Geoscientist James Kasting points out that another habitable planet has not yet been discovered in 20 years of search. In his book, The Creator and the Cosmos, Astrophysicist Hugh Ross states, ‘the probability for finding a planet or rock anywhere in the universe with the capacity to support long-lasting microbial physical life, independent of divine miraculous intervention, has shrunk from 10^-53 to 10^-144 to 10^-556.’^iv 

All the evidence points out that humanity is the central theme of the cosmos. The more astronomers look at the data, the more apparent it becomes that many features must physically be fine-tuned with great precision to accommodate human life. A simple example is that if the Earth were closer or away from its position from the Sun, advanced life would not be possible. Earth is located in a habitable zone (also called the Goldilocks zone). In the book, The Privileged Planet, Astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez and Philosopher Jay Richards present the widely recognised fine-tuning factors. Ross points out that the Earth is prepared for physical life through many finely tuned characteristics of our galaxy cluster, galaxy, star, planet, planetary partners, collider, moon, and belts of asteroids and comets.^v He also lists hundreds of fine-tuning parameters.^vi Every month, it is possible to see a growth in fine-tuning parameters in scientific findings. Scientific evidence in support of the anthropic principle fills several books. All research astronomers agree that the universe manifests exquisite fine-tuning for advanced life to be possible. Where does the scientific discovery of fine-tuning point us towards?

Fine-Tuning Requires a Designer

When philosophers study the information from the scientific data, a proper interpretation can conclude that there must be a ‘Fine-Tuner’ behind the operation of the universe because all the researches point to an Intelligent Agent. There are three options to choose from, to explain the fine-tuning features. Either fine-tuning is due to chance, necessity, or design. Chance and necessity cannot bring fine-tuning of this precision, given the finite cosmic beginning and features of the universe. The only option left is design. By understanding many spectacular examples of fine-tuning in nature, Physicist Paul Davies exclaimed, ‘the impression of design is overwhelming.’^vii Design points to a Designer. What can we infer about the Designer, then? After tackling several objections to fine-tuning and Designer, Philosopher Douglas Groothuis writes, 

This Designer is…singular, outside of the universe (transcendent), a personal agent (having a mind to conceive the fine-tuning and the will to bring it about), and immensely powerful (given the complexity and scope of the universe).^viii 

From different viewpoints, the best inference for the Designer is the God of the Bible.

Are There More Evidence for God?

There are wide varieties of arguments for the existence of God other than a few I have demonstrated. Other arguments include the Moral Argument, the Ontological Argument, the Five Ways of St Thomas Aquinas, many forms of Teleological Arguments, etc. The reason for the theistic God comes from various converging lines of evidence. So far, with limited space and time, I have tried to lay a foundation by establishing the existence of God through sound reasoning. If you would like to explore more on this topic, many online resources are available. Also, see the materials I recommend in the different articles. Now I want to shift the gear to move forward to deal with some other challenging questions and significant topics as we continue this journey of faith and reason. May the truth pierce through your heart like a two-edged sword to transform you into a powerful witness of the light, glory, and knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a world filled with evil and darkness. May the truth shine and prevail in you and through you! Amen! 

Recommended Books: 

Hugh Ross, Why The Universe Is The Way It Is, 2008, and The Creator and The Cosmos: How the Latest Scientific Discoveries Reveal God, 2018.

Normal Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, 2004.

References

ⁱ Geraint F. Lewis and Luke A. Barnes, A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely-Tuned Cosmos (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), 1.

ⁱⁱ Lewis and Barnes, A Fortunate Universe, 04.

ⁱⁱⁱ William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, 3rd ed. (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2008), 58.

^iv Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Latest Scientific Discoveries Reveal God (Covina, CA: RTB Press, 2018), 219. 

^v Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos, 217.

^vi I recommend the website (reasons.org), where the researchers list the growing number of fine-tuning parameters. Also, see the books by Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is and The Creator and the Cosmos.

^vii Paul Davies, The Cosmic Blueprint, (United States: New York, Simon and Schuster, 1988), 203.

^viii Douglas R. Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2011), 264-65.

Aby Jacob was born and raised in Kerala, India. He is currently pursuing an MA in Philosophy and a Certificate in Scientific Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary (USA). He dedicates his life to defending the Christian faith and answering people’s honest questions about God, life, and the world.