Objection · Case 08 · Science
The 1 in 10^120 figure compares the observed value with a naive quantum field theory estimate that everyone agrees is wrong. Doesn’t it measure our ignorance of how to calculate vacuum energy, not fine-tuning?
One objection from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
Response
That is a fair technical point. The discrepancy is a famous unsolved problem, and physicists disagree about whether it is best described as fine-tuning or as a sign that the calculation is wrong. What is not in dispute is that if the constant were even modestly larger than observed, galaxies would not form; the life-permitting range is small on any account. Keep the two questions apart: why is it so small is an open puzzle, and it must be small for structure to exist is the fine-tuning point, and only the second is relied on here.
About this exhibit
This objection is to The cosmological constant.
The energy of empty space, called the cosmological constant, is the sharpest example. The value we observe is smaller than naive theoretical estimates by a factor of about ten to the 120th power, a…
Under Claim 07: The basic constants of physics sit in narrow ranges that allow stars, chemistry, and life, and shifting them even slightly would rule life out.