“The Fine-Tuning Argument: For God or Against Physics?”
By Tufan Kıymaz (Bilkent, Philosophy)
Date: Thursday 9th November, 2017
Time: 1540-1715
Place: H-232
Abstract: The physical constants and laws of nature in our universe appear to be finely-tuned to secure the emergence of life. The best explanation of this appearance of fine-tuning for life is that the physical constants and laws of nature are in fact finely-tuned, that is, they are designed. Therefore, the finely-tuned appearance of our universe constitutes good (if not conclusive) evidence for the existence of God. This is the Fine-Tuning Argument and it is arguably the most influential argument for the existence of God in contemporary philosophy of religion. But, it is a bad argument, or so I argue. In this talk, I propose a counter-argument, which follows the same inferential approach that underlies the Fine-Tuning Argument, to a conclusion that is incompatible with its soundness. I argue, more specifically, that one can use the same kind of consideration that the Fine-Tuning Argument rests on to argue not for the existence of God but against the reliability of our current fundamental physics. This poses a serious problem for the Fine-Tuning Argument since it is essential for the argument that our current fundamental physics is reliable.
