4b: The Anthropic Principle
Unit Overview
Background information / abstract
This unit aims to help students understand some of the arguments concerning the
design of the universe and the possibility of this having been the result of a
deliberate creation by a designer God. They will look at the nature of the Anthropic
principle and the weak and strong anthropic arguments. These will be compared to
the scientific process of looking for causality. There will be opportunities to apply
these principles in different scenarios through a role play game. There is one lesson
considering the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence and its implications for
theological doctrines.
Learning Opportunities
Lesson 1.
The students will be guided through a PowerPpoint presentation which
explains the Anthropic principle. They will then have the opportunity to
prepare an outline of this principle for GCSE students.
Lesson 2.
Through a game using different characters and scenarios, the students
will reinforce their understanding of the Anthropic principle.
Lesson 3.
Using a PowerPoint presentation the students will look at some of the
evidence and research into extra terrestrial life. They will make posters
of these ideas which will also reflect their ideas of some of the
implications of these ideas. Finally the impact on belief in God of the
possible existence of extra terrestrial life will be discussed.
Background information (see Student Resource Sheet 3 Anthropic Arguments
and Questions)
The material that goes with this topic deals with various issues connected with the
Anthropic principle. In outline, this is the observation that our existence is dependent
on a variety of features of the physical makeup of the universe. At another level,
some push the Anthropic observations further to a claim that the laws of nature are
set up to make it inevitable that life of some form would eventually appear in the
universe. People who are comfortable with this stronger form of the Anthropic
principle either justify it in terms of the universe being a creation of God who willed
the laws of nature to have a particularly fruitful form, or that the whole thing is
simply a fortuitous coincidence.
Weak Anthropic argument: Weak Anthropic principle – the universe is the way we
see it now, because if it were any different intelligent life could not exist. The weak
Anthropic principle is taking the fact of our existence and using it to draw conclusions
about the universe.
Science and Religion in Schools Project – Unit 4b: The Anthropic Principle
Strong Anthropic argument: Strong Anthropic principle – the universe must be
the way that it is in order to allow intelligent life to evolve. Now our existence is not
simply being taken as a fact. The strong Anthropic principle is elevating our
existence into a necessity. What the strong Anthropic principle is saying is that any
universe governed by laws of nature such as ours would inevitably evolve intelligent
life sooner or later. This is a much more controversial statement.
Causality: Anthropic arguments reverse the normal sequence of scientific reasoning.
Normally scientists explain one event in terms of something that happened earlier –
“the football is flying across the room because I kicked it”. An anthropic argument
would take the current events and try to use them to explain the previous events –
“the fact that the football is flying across the room shows that I must have kicked it”.
The more normal argument could be called a causal argument – the cause of an
event must come before the event. Scientists are normally searching for causal links
between things (something happens because of something else). This is why many
scientists are unhappy with the idea of an anthropic principle having any explanatory
power at all.
Teacher support materials
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/teleo.html - a detailed look at the
Anthropic principle and teleological arguments, quite advanced
Are We Alone? The philosophical basis of the search for extraterrestrial life” by Paul
Davies Penguin 1995 http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/books.php
Key Quotations
“I do not believe that any scientist who examined the evidence would fail to draw the
inference that the laws of nuclear physics have been deliberately designed with
regard to the consequences they produce inside stars.
If this is so, then my apparently random quirks have become part of a deep-laid
scheme. If not, then we are back again at a monstrous sequence of accidents”.
Fred Hoyle 1915 –2001.
Science and Religion in Schools Project – Unit 4b: The Anthropic Principle
Aims of the topic
At the end of the topic most students will have:
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Understood the meaning of the Anthropic principle
Identified the difference between weak and strong Anthropic arguments.
Examined the difference between Anthropic and causal arguments.
Considered some of the theological implications of the Anthropic principle.
Considered the possibilities of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Thought about the theological questions raised by the possible existence of
extraterrestrial intelligence.
Some will not have progressed as far but will have:
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Understood what is meant by the Anthropic principle.
Realised that there are two different kinds of Anthropic argument.
Examined the importance of the causes of events for scientists.
Thought about whether there might be extraterrestrial intelligence.
Realised that these issues have implications for thinking about the existence
of a creator God.
Others will have progressed further and will have:
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Examined the implications theologically of the Anthropic principle.
Analysed different examples of weak and strong Anthropic arguments.
Thought about scientific methods of enquiry.
Evaluated evidence for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Considered a range of theological doctrines which would be influenced by the
existence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Key Questions
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Is the universe as we know it the result the actions of a designer God?
Does the nature of the universe inevitably lead to the existence of intelligent
life?
Is looking at causality the only way to carry out valid research?
How convincing is the evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial
intelligence?
Can we still believe in God if there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?
Science and Religion in Schools Project – Unit 4b: The Anthropic Principle
Learning Objectives
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Be able to explain the Anthropic principle.
Be able to identify weak and strong Anthropic arguments.
Be able to explain the difference between Anthropic and causal
arguments.
Be able to present some of the evidence for the existence of
extraterrestrial intelligence.
Be able to explain some of the theological questions raised by, and
implications of, these issues.
Learning Outcomes
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Have completed a comprehension exercise about the Anthropic principle.
Taken part in a role play consideration of weak and strong Anthropic
arguments.
Have given examples of weak, strong and causal arguments.
Have made presentations of the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Have considered some of the theological implications of these questions.
Resources
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4b Overview
Student Resource Sheet
Student Resource Sheet
Play)
Student Resource Sheet
Student Resource Sheet
Student Resource Sheet
Student Resource Sheet
Intelligence) (PowerPoint)
1 - Anthropic Arguments (PowerPoint)
2 - Cosmological Consequences Game (Role
3 - Anthropic Arguments and Questions.
3[LA] - Anthropic Arguments and Questions.
4 - Quotations; ‘Anthropacisms’.
5 - SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial
Books
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‘Dawkins’ God; Genes, Memes, and the meaning of life’ by Alistr McGrath
(Blackwell).
Are We Alone? The philosophical basis of the search for extraterrestrial
life” by Paul Davies Penguin 1995
Web sites
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http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/books.php
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/teleo.html
Science and Religion in Schools Project – Unit 4b: The Anthropic Principle