Institute of Advanced Studies

A Universe made for me? The anthropic principle in Astronomy

by Professor Geraint Lewis, School of Physics, University of Sydney

How lucky we are, finding us living on a planet with just the right conditions for liquid water to flow on its surface. More than that, we live in a universe old enough, and with just the right laws of physics, to forge the heavy elements from which we are made.

This 'lucky' situation underpins the anthropic principle, which related our very existence to the evolution of the cosmos. To some, the anthropic principle is little more than misguided hand-waving, whereas to others it tells us something fundamental about the universe. This tal looked at the successes and failures of this controversial idea, as well as to the future, where some think that the anthropic principle may be our only guide to one of the major outstanding questions in physics - namely, how do we construct a theory of everything?

Born in Old South Wales, Geraint Lewis undertook a PhD at the University of Cambridge before spending several years at universities in the USA and Canada. He joined the Anglo-Australian Observatory in 2000, before moving to the University of Sydney where he is a Professor of Astrophysics.

This lecture is part of the series series of free public lectures initiated to celebrate the UN International Year of Astronomy which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009