5 ms·

" The precise placement of the moon, the composition of our core to generate perfect magnetic fields, etc." How precise are you defining these to be? The Moon'

• cookiecaper 16y ago
  Well, consider all of the potential places the Moon could have ended up; space is big. And then consider that not only the placement of the moon was necessary, but also the unique physical composition of the Earth and its atmosphere, the Earth's distance from the Sun and other celestial bodies, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc., and all of the potential states that could have been selected but were not hospitable to life, and you will see why some people find it so unlikely that there was no organizing force in the creation of our world.
  • vorg 16y ago
    What is it about the placement of the moon that makes earth so extremely unique as to support life. Does it merely deflect asteroids to provide more stability for evolving species? And how intelligent must life be to be considered the "Destined Entity" of the Anthropic Principle? Were dinosaurs not self-aware enough? The moon's placement is also such that it's the same size as the sun when viewed from the earth, making total solar eclipses more stunning, and intelligent life viewing them may become a more inquisitive species, and maybe more likely to innovate Agriculture, and so sit around in cities considering philosophical questions. But is this the only Destined Entity? Just as today's humans consider cats and apes to be not self-aware enough to be Destined Entities, maybe some future specimens of humans will consider today's humans in the same way. Or maybe humans today will create some future planet-wide automated intelligence that becomes self-aware, and be the Destined Entity, and the Anthropic Principle will really be the Robotic Principle. But just as today's humans are the result of thousands of trial-and-error experiments of evolution, an automated intelligence has more likelihood of becoming self-aware if there are many separate instances of it. If it's planet-wide, then different vastly separated planets are needed. So perhaps a moon for the earth increases the ease with which humans can adapt to space colonization, then Mars providing the next challenge, then terraforming Venus, more difficult, until humans blast off into other solar systems, eventually colonizing the galaxy. And one day, one of those planet-wide automated networks on one of the colonized planets will become self-aware enough to be considered the Destined Entity the Universe came into existence for. Such a self-aware automated intelligence will reminisce with itself that the moon "Luna" of old "Earth" had the correct placement not only to deflect asteroids, but also to display solar eclipses with a spectacular corona, and provide a baby step for space colonization by humans.
    • gmlk 16y ago
      The main advantage we get from having a relatively huge moon is stability of the earths rotational axes, without the moon the earth would have periods where it had one sunny side and one cold dark side.
    • BrentRitterbeck 16y ago
      The moon's placement is also such that it's the same size as the sun when viewed from the earth, making total solar eclipses more stunning, and intelligent life viewing them may become a more inquisitive species, and maybe more likely to innovate Agriculture, and so sit around in cities considering philosophical questions. But is this the only Destined Entity? The moon has not always been at the distance away from earth that it is now. The moon is moving away from earth at about 1.5 inches per year. Thus, one cannot argue about its placement because it has not always been at the distance it is now. What people knew about the moon before the 20th century is merely an artifact of when literate man appeared on earth. http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q1282.html http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q1282.html