Editing Anthropic principle (section)

== Definition and basis ==

The principle was formulated as a response to a [[Fine-tuned universe|series of observations]] that the laws of nature and parameters of the universe have values that are consistent with conditions for life as it is known rather than values that would not be consistent with life on [[Earth]]. The anthropic principle states that this is an'' a posteriori'' [[a priori and a posteriori|necessity]], because if life were impossible, no living entity would be there to observe it, and thus it would not be known. That is, it must be possible to observe ''some'' universe, and hence, the laws and constants of any such universe must accommodate that possibility.

The term ''[[wikt:anthropic|anthropic]]'' in "anthropic principle" has been argued<ref>Mosterín J., (2005), ''Antropic explanations in Cosmology'', in  Hajek, Valdés & Westerstahl (eds.), ''Proceedings of the 12th international congress of logic, Methodology and philosophy of science''; http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/1658/"</ref> to be a [[misnomer]].<ref group="note">From Greek roots, ''anthropic'' means "of or pertaining to mankind or humans".</ref> While singling out the currently observable kind of carbon-based life, none of the finely tuned phenomena require [[human]] life or some kind of [[carbon chauvinism]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stenger |first1=Victor J. |author-link1=Victor J. Stenger |editor1-last=Flynn |editor1-first=Tom |editor1-link=Tom Flynn (author) |title=The new encyclopedia of unbelief |year=2007 |publisher=Prometheus books |isbn=9781615922802 |pages=65–70 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fsZ26vQxJKMC&pg=PA65 |language=en |chapter=The anthropic principle }}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bostrom|2002|p=6}}</ref> Any form of life or any form of heavy atom, stone, star, or galaxy would do; nothing specifically human or anthropic is involved.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Quentin |date=September 1994 |title=Anthropic explanations in cosmology |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00048409412346161 |journal=Australasian Journal of Philosophy |volume=72 |issue=3 |pages=371–382 |doi=10.1080/00048409412346161 |issn=0004-8402 }}</ref>

The anthropic principle has given rise to some confusion and controversy, partly because the phrase has been applied to several distinct ideas. All versions of the principle have been accused of discouraging the search for a deeper physical understanding of the universe. Critics of the weak anthropic principle point out that its lack of [[falsifiability]] entails that it is non-scientific and therefore inherently not useful. Stronger variants of the anthropic principle which are not tautologies can still make claims considered controversial by some; these would be contingent upon empirical verification.{{clarify|date=November 2024}}