The Anthropic Landscape of String Theory

TL;DR

This paper explores the vast diversity of string theory vacua, discussing how this landscape supports the anthropic principle and impacts cosmological models.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of the large and diverse string theory landscape and its implications for cosmology and the anthropic principle.

Findings

String theory landscape is vast and diverse.

Supports the plausibility of the anthropic principle.

Raises conceptual issues in string cosmology.

Abstract

In this lecture I make some educated guesses, about the landscape of string theory vacua. Based on the recent work of a number of authors, it seems plausible that the lanscape is unimaginably large and diverse. Whether we like it or not, this is the kind of behavior that gives credence to the Anthropic Principle. I discuss the theoretical and conceptual issues that arise in developing a cosmology based on the diversity of environments implicit in string theory.