Fine Tuning of the Universe - Lecture Series by Dr Gasser Hathout

Lecture 1: Introduction to Fine Tuning | Part 1

These two introductory lectures provide a definition of Fine Tuning and provide the view of multiple prominent scientists that this notion represents a very genuine and profound set of recent discoveries. The general roadmap of the lecture series is presented, in terms of exploring the laws of nature, the “universal constants” which enter into those laws, and the initial conditions under which these laws operate, with a view to showing that even the smallest changes in any of these aspects would render the universe incapable of supporting life. We then explore why this set of discoveries is so significant in supporting the notion of a deliberate creation of the universe.

Fine Tuning of the Universe

The notion of Fine Tuning of the Universe is a set of recent and profound scientific discoveries -- spanning only the last few decades -- which has had an unprecedented impact on the debate about the relationship of science and faith. It stands as the strongest set of scientific arguments supporting the existence of God, and the notion of a purposeful Creation. It is a critical counter to a mental culture which tries to paint the picture that science has rendered the notion of faith obsolete.

What is Fine Tuning? To quote Luke Barnes, an astrophysicist at the Sydney Institute of Astronomy, it is the discovery that “Even the smallest changes to the laws of physics as we know them tend to make a universe which is completely unliveable. This is called the fine-tuning of the universe, and is frankly one of the most baffling facts in all of science!”

In this lecture series, we will explore some of these discoveries together, and see how they impact the debate about the relationship between science and faith.