Feel free to distribute this announcement to anyone who might be interested. You are hereby invited to two seminars part of the fifth interdisciplinary series on Evolution, Complexity and Cognition <http://ecco.vub.ac.be/?q=node/108>.
*When & Where?* - Thursday, June 25. 2009, *2-4 pm,* Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for life?<http://ecco.vub.ac.be/?q=node/115>(abstract in Dutch<http://www.skepp.be/agenda/lezing-victor-stenger-in-brussel-is-the-universe-fine-tuned-for-life> ) Room B 0.036 (building B, level 0, close to the human sciences computer rooms), on the VUB Campus Etterbeek<http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infoabout/campuses/index.html>(Brussels, Belgium). Coffee and drinks are available. Free entrance: everybody welcome! - Thursday, June 25. 2009, *8-9.30 pm*, Quantum Gods. Creation, Chaos, and the Search for Cosmic Consciousness. <http://www.skepp.be/agenda/lezing-victor-stenger-quantum-gods-creation-chaos-and-the-search-for-cosmic-consciousness>Building Y, near the Kultuurkaffee; entrance 7 from Triomflaan. Organised with UPV<http://www.vub.ac.be/UPV>, SKEPP <http://www.skepp.be/>en de Oudstudentenbond <http://www.osb.be/>, VUB. ------------------------------ Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for life? *Abstract*: For over a decade now, many theologians and theistic scientists have claimed that they can make a strong scientific argument for the existence of a supernatural creation of the universe and that this universe was created with life, and perhaps even humanity, in mind. This notion, misleadingly called the Anthropic Principle, is based on the fact that has some of the constants of physics been slightly different, life “as we know it” would not exist. The parameters of nature are not fine-tuned at all. Either they have the values they do because of being arbitrary to begin with, being fixed by the laws of physics, or else they still allow for some kind of life when other parameters are varied. A common mistake by the unqualified people making these claims of fine-tuning is to fix all the parameters but one and then vary just that one. Any properly trained scientist knows that all parameters must be varied when studying what happens when the parameters of a system change. <http://www.vub.ac.be/UPV> ------------------------------ Quantum Gods. Creation, Chaos, and the Search for Cosmic Consciousness For over thirty years now, New Age gurus have alleged that quantum mechanics has verified that the human mind is part of a cosmic consciousness that pervades the universe. This claim is based on a misinterpretation of quantum mechanics in which an object is said to be either a wave or a particle depending on what property you decide to measure. In fact, all measurements of individual objects yield localized, particle properties and any wave property is limited to the statistical distributions for ensembles of particles. In the meantime, Christian theologians have launched an intensive effort to find a way for God to act in the world that does not violate any laws of physics or Christian traditions. While God can do whatever he wants, he would be acting against himself if he violated his own laws. Again quantum mechanics is proposed as a means for God to intervene. If he stays within the bounds of the quantum uncertainty principle, then his actions would not be detectable to humans. However such actions would still violate physical laws and, furthermore, not be an efficient way to control events on the human scale. Chaos theory has been proposed as a mechanism for amplifying those actions. Quantum mechanics is shown not to provide a viable basis for divine action, with or without chaos theory. Some theologians have proposed a new kind of deism in which god creates a universe with many possible pathways determined by chance. However, since the universe began in chaos, it retains no memory of such a sod. This leaves as the only possible god one who plays dice with the universe. This god bears no resemblance to the Gods of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. *About the Speaker* Victor Stenger is adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado and emeritus professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii (retired). He is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a research fellow of the Center for Inquiry. Stenger has also held visiting positions on the faculties of the University of Heidelberg in Germany, Oxford in England (twice), and has been a visiting researcher at Rutherford Laboratory in England, the National Nuclear Physics Laboratory in Frascati, Italy, and the University of Florence in Italy. Stenger spent forty years doing research in elementary particle physics and astrophysics during the golden age of those subjects. In his last project before retiring, Stenger collaborated on the underground experiment in Japan that showed for the first time that the neutrino has mass. The Japanese leader of this experiments shared the 2002 Nobel Prize. Victor Stenger has had a parallel career as an author of critically well-received popular-level books that interface between physics and cosmology and philosophy, religion, and pseudoscience. See http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/ More info about seminars: http://ecco.vub.ac.be/?q=node/108 Best regards, Clément Vidal. ________________________________________ http://clement.vidal.philosophons.com Co-Founder, Evo Devo Universe Community http://www.evodevouniverse.com Centrum Leo Apostel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel Krijgskundestraat 33. B-1160 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 640 67 37 | Fax: +32 2 644 07 44
