Why does the world exist?

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Why does the world exist? (Original title: The Life of the Cosmos ) is the title of a book published by theoretical physicist Lee Smolin in 1997. In this, the author deals with the formation of our universe and proposes that everything that exists is the result of an evolutionary process.

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Lee Smolin makes the claim that our universe is built on natural laws, but these physical laws are themselves the result of evolution. Thus it coexists with other universes in a multiverse , which due to the evolutionary process are subject to completely different natural laws. The connection between the universes is represented by black holes which, when they collapse, create new universes. Depending on the interaction of the fundamental constants and parameters, such as the gravitational constant or the speed of light , it can lead to the creation of life in one of these universes. The emergence of life is therefore not a coincidence, but the result of a natural cosmic selection. However, according to the author, this hypothesis cannot be fully proven. In the appendix to the book, Lee Smolin deals with some of the arguments he is familiar with and which were put forward against his thesis. According to the author, all of these counterexamples are refutable, which he tries to explain in detail.

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reception

  • Neue Zürcher Zeitung : “In view of the subject, nobody can blame him for the fact that much of what Smolin writes is highly speculative. What matters is the seriousness with which the author goes about his work. Here writes someone who, after careful consideration, has come to the conclusion that our current view of the universe falls far too short. "
  • Dr. Harald Zaun on astronomie.de: "Smolin, whom some are already hyping up to be the" cosmic Darwin ", has composed a brilliant work that is suitable for both specialists and interested laypeople. It is worth reading in every respect and is equally exciting as it is original. His provocative theses do not necessarily have to be the last word in wisdom. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Review by Dr. Harald Zaun at astronomie.de ( Memento from November 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive )

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