Cosmic Jackpot - Why Our Universe Is Just Right For Life

Title: Cosmic Jackpot – Why Our Universe Is Just Right For Life
Author: Paul Davies
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company 2007 (First published 2006)
ISBN: 978-0-618-59226-1
Pages: 269

Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist and cosmologist and the director of ‘Beyond’, a research institue in Arizona State University dedicated to the study of fundamental concepts in science. He is the author of more than 200 research papers and 27 books on topics ranging from black holes to life on Mars. The asteroid 1992OG was officially renamed Pauldavies in his honour.

This work is essentially philosophical rather than scientific. The origins of the universe, its growth and its eventual fate is discussed, but with an overarching personal touch which gives the lie to the scientific nature of the book. Much prominence is given to the quest for unified theories, but the hallmark of such a theory, if one does exist, is not consistent with the guess of a scientifically oriented mind, as the author asserts.

The origin of the universe was an issue which taxed even the most brilliant minds of all time. Scientists go incoherent when asked about what went before the Big Bang and religiously minded people often turn hostile and sometime violent when compelled to comment on who/what created God, the creator. St. Augustine, who was an intellectual heavyweight of his time, confronted such a question with a really smart answer. His considered answer to what god was doing before creating the universe was that ‘the world was made with time, and not in time’. Modern science also spells out that time itself originated in the Big Bang.

A good discussion on the present situation in particle physics is given. The particles in the standard model of particle physics are as follows. (The electric charge of the particle is shown in brackets).

Leptons

Tau (-1) - Tau Neutrino (0)
Muon (-1) - Muon Neutrino (0)
Electron (-1) - Electron Neutrino (0)

Quarks

Bottom (-1/3) - Top (2/3)
Strange (-1/3) - Charm (2/3)
Down (-1/3) - Up (2/3)

Particles in the Super Symmetry model are as follows. (The spin of the particles is given in brackets)

Higgs (0) - Higgsino (1/2)
Lepton (1/2) - Slepton (0)
Quark (1/2) - Squark (0)
Gluon (1) - Gluino (1/2)
Photon (1) - Photino (1/2)
Z (1) - Zino (1/2)
W (1) - Wino (1/2)
Graviton (2) - Gravitino (3/2)

The main hypotheses the author examined is summarized in an afterword. There are eight in all. We will examine them in turn.

A. The absurd universe: The universe is as it is, mysteriously, and it just happens to permit life. Had it been different, we would not be here to argue about it. The advantage is that it is easy to hold.

B. The unique universe: This view holds that there is a deep underlying unity in Physics, and there is a mathematical theory that will explain it all. The advantage is that this holds the dream of a complete understanding of the universe.

C. The multiverse: Modern cosmological models point strongly to the existence of a multiplicity of cosmic domains. There is variability among the parameters of fundamental constants in those multiple universes. The advantage is that it provides a natural and easy explanation of why the universe is so uncannily fine tuned for life – observers arise only in those universes where conditions are just right.

D. Intelligent design: This is the traditional monotheistic world view that the universe is created by god, and designed to be suitable for life. The advantage is that it is simple, but it is a conversation stopper. The other problem is that the identity of the creator may not be God, but a super civilization or a superduper computer in a highly advanced civilization.

E. The Life principle: In this theory, the bio-friendliness of the universe arises from an overarching law or principle that constrains the universe/multiverse to evolve towards life and mind. It has the advantage of taking life seriously, but the show stopper is that teleology represents a decisive break with traditional scientific thinking.

F. The Self-explaining universe: The universe, or multiverse can explain itself. There are models involving causal loops or backward in-time causation, whereby the universe creates itself. The advantage is that it is self-contained, the disadvantage being we are still left not knowing why this universe is the one that exists, as opposed to all other self explanatory schemes.

G. The fake universe: We are living in a simulation and what we take to be the real world is an ingeniously contrived virtual reality show. This is a variant on the intelligent designer scenario, but upgraded for the information age.

The author’s preferences are the options E & F.

The book is steeped in philosophical quagmire and not at all enjoyable. Anything can happen, as the logic implies, which can be adequately explained by philosophical concepts. In the end, when all is said and done, we are left wondering whether the author was successful in answering the question he pompously posed in the title, “Why our universe is just right for life?”. He has not even troubled himself to examine how a small change in one of the fundamental parameters of nature, like the gravitational constant or electronic charge can affect life. The language in the book is terse and the style contorted. It was the resolve to write a review which prompted me to read it all, being such a difficult one at that.

The book is not recommended.

Rating: 2 Star