Prior Probabilities in the Argument From Fine-Tuning

Faith and Philosophy 22 (5):641-653 (2005)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Theism is a far simpler hypothesis, and so a priori more probably true, than naturalism, understood as the hypothesis that the existence of this law-governeduniverse has no explanation. Theism postulates only one entity (God) with very simple properties, whereas naturalism has to postulate either innumerableentities all having the same properties, or one very complicated entity with the power to produce the former. If theism is true, it is moderately probable that God would create humanoid beings and so humanoid bodies; but laws of nature would have to have very special properties if they are to bring about the existencne of humaoid bodies. Given laws of the present form (quantum theory with the Pauli principle and the four forces), the constants of the laws and variables of the boundary conditions of the universe would need to be extremely fine-tuned; and no simpler set of laws would allow the existence of humanoid bodies at all. So the evidence of the existence of humanoid bodies adds further to the probability of theismas against naturalism.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 93,612

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

The Argument to God from Fine-Tuning.Richard Swinburne - 2010 - In Melville Y. Stewart (ed.), Science and Religion in Dialogue. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 223--233.
Is Theism a Simple, and hence Probable, Explanation for the Universe?John Ostrowick - 2012 - South African Journal of Philosophy 31 (2):354-368.
The Existence of God.Richard Swinburne - 1979 - Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press UK.
The Existence of God.Richard Swinburne - 1979 - Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press.
Are the psychophysical laws fine-tuned?Dan Cavedon-Taylor - 2020 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 89 (3):285-292.
The existence of God.Richard Swinburne - 1979 - New York: Oxford University Press.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-01-09

Downloads
368 (#6,403)

6 months
13 (#1,035,185)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references