Anthropic principle versus multi-verse

[DuraGizer]

I don't think the multiverse hypothesis/hypotheses disprove the existence of God, and believe that atheists that use it as an argument against theism are probably scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Frankly, I like the idea of a multiverse. The possibilities are endless ...

[Jedidiah]

Good point. It does make the multiverse hypothesis sound horribly deterministic.

J

At least the particular view of the multiverse that Glenn discussed.

[Kenny]

I think that Glenn’s argument that the multiverse scenario (according to which there are tokens of all physically possible universe types) entails that we have no free will is fallacious.

The mere thesis that I have a counterpart in another universe who makes different choices than I do (in relevantly similar circumstances to my own) doesn’t entail that my own choices aren't free. I don’t see how the entailment suddenly holds if we add that, for every choice I could have made in a given set of circumstances, a counterpart of mine in some other universe makes that choice in relevantly similar circumstances. What do my counterparts have to do with me?

Even if it turns out that it is a law of nature that there be tokens of every physically possible universe type, so that the laws of nature guarantee that some counterpart of me will, say, choose to take up a life of crime, it doesn’t follow that the laws of nature entail that I will choose to take up a life of crime. Nor does it follow that the laws of nature entail that my counterpart who actually does end up taking up a life of crime does so because the laws of nature entailed that he would do it. All that follows is that the laws of nature entail that someone will fill the role of being the counterpart who takes up a life of crime. That’s consistent with it being the case that, for any guy who actually ends up filling the role, that guy could have done otherwise.

[shunyadragon]

I don't think the multiverse hypothesis/hypotheses disprove the existence of God, and believe that atheists that use it as an argument against theism are probably scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Frankly, I like the idea of a multiverse. The possibilities are endless ...

Atheists rarely if every use this argument against the existence of God. It is a rather foolish idea.