Cosmic Jackpot

Cosmic Jackpot
The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life? (Cosmic Jackpot)  
Cosmic Jackpot.jpeg
Author(s) Paul Davies
Language English
Subject(s) Physics
Publication date 2007
ISBN 9780618592265
OCLC Number 70775587
Dewey Decimal 523.1/2 22
LC Classification BS651 .D325 2007

Cosmic Jackpot, also published under the title The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?,[1] is a 2007 non-fiction book by physicist and cosmologist Paul Davies, describing the idea of a fine-tuned Universe.

Contents

The Enigma

Main article: Fine-tuned Universe

In Cosmic Jackpot, Davies argues that certain universal fundamental physical constants are precisely adjusted to make life in the Universe possible: that we have, in a sense, won a "cosmic jackpot," and that conditions are "just right" for life, as in the The Story of the Three Bears. As Davies writes elsewhere, "There is now broad agreement among physicists and cosmologists that the universe is in several respects 'fine-tuned' for life."[2]

After explaining this enigma, Davies discusses possible solutions, such as the anthropic principle, the idea of a multiverse which contains many different universes (including our "just right" one), and the idea of intelligent design.

The Multiverse

Main article: Multiverse

Davies also discusses a number of other ideas connected with the "multiverse." Much like a pencil falling to the ground from its tip in a trade off of symmetry for stability, Davies writes that the Big Bang could have established a complex but stable universe (or multiverse) from symmetry breaking as the heat radiation in "space" lowered abruptly past the Curie Point.

Chapters

  1. The Big Questions
  2. The Universe Explained
  3. How the Universe Began
  4. What the Universe is Made of and How It All Holds Together
  5. The Lure of Complete Unification
  6. Dark Forces and Cosmos
  7. A Universe Fit for Life
  8. Does a Multiverse Solve the Goldilocks Enigma?
  9. Intelligent and Not-So-Intelligent Design
  10. How Come Existence?

See also

References

  1. ^ Google Books: The Goldilocks Enigma
  2. ^ Paul Davies, "How bio-friendly is the universe?" International Journal of Astrobiology, vol. 2, no. 2 (2003): 115.

External links

Interview with Paul Davies about his book the Cosmic Jackpot (starts at 40 min)

Op-Ed Paul Davies New York Times Opinion-Editorial

Paul Davies interview (Salon.com)


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