The anthropic principle is a form of philosophical reasoning that, with regard to cosmology (the study of the structure and origin of the Universe), states that the present existence and state of life on Earth places limits on the evolution of the Universe. The term anthropic principle is actually misleading, for despite its derivation from the Greek anthropos meaning human, it is not concerned exclusively with human beings but with intelligent life in the universe.

Scientists, philosophers and theologians have long noted that the values of a multitude of universal constants such as gravity, electromagnetism, and the nuclear forces fall precisely within a narrow range required for the universe to have evolved as it has. Had a single value been other than it is, the resulting universe would be devoid of life as we know it. These values, which almost seem to have been fine-tuned for...