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arXiv · 2104.03381

The Trouble with "Puddle Thinking": A User's Guide to the Anthropic Principle

Geraint F. Lewis·Luke A. Barnes
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Abstract

Are some cosmologists trying to return human beings to the centre of the cosmos? In the view of some critics, the so-called "anthropic principle" is a desperate attempt to salvage a scrap of dignity for our species after a few centuries of demotion at the hands of science. It is all things archaic and backwards - teleology, theology, religion, anthropocentrism - trying to sneak back in scientific camouflage. We argue that this is a mistake. The anthropic principle is not mere human arrogance, nor is it religion in disguise. It is a necessary part of the science of the universe.

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Geraint F. Lewis, Luke A. Barnes. 2021-04-07. The Trouble with "Puddle Thinking": A User's Guide to the Anthropic Principle. https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.03381

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