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

TL;DR

This paper defends the anthropic principle as a legitimate scientific concept, countering critics who view it as archaic or religious, and emphasizes its importance in understanding the universe.

Contribution

It clarifies misconceptions about the anthropic principle and argues for its essential role in scientific cosmology.

Findings

The anthropic principle is not religion in disguise.

Critics wrongly dismiss the principle as archaic.

The principle is necessary for understanding the universe.

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.