Fine tuning for life

[Danhalen]

I have a simple question. If this planet was designed for life, why has there been so many mass extinctions?

 

[moogoob]

Planet, or universe in general?

Then again, I'm a naturalist so might not be the one to oppose your question.

Hmm, maybe (according to Creationists) sin might have something to do with it? Just a stab in the dark.

 

[AngryWomble]

I'd hate to know what they were doing at the end of the Permain then! Less than 3 % of life at that time survived!!

 

[The Nihilist]

I'd hate to know what they were doing at the end of the Permain then! Less than 3 % of life at that time survived!!

Undoubtedly, they were all homosexuals.

 

[Avatar]

I'd hate to know what they were doing at the end of the Permain then! Less than 3 % of life at that time survived!!

Really? Wow. What is theorized to be the cause of that? Gamma Ray burst?

 

[[serious]]

Mass extinctions are caused by original sin. Such huge events were the result of either the flood or the initial start of death. Think about it, if you are a lamb that is used to just chilling with lions, what's gonna happen when the lions start eating you? Only those that adapted to the new "I can die" environment survived. And by adapt, I mean in a completely non evolutionary way that is not survival of the fittest at all.

(poe)

 

[AngryWomble]

Really? Wow. What is theorized to be the cause of that? Gamma Ray burst?

The Siberian Trapps and a big rock from space.....the usual

 

[llDayo]

The planet was also designed for death.

 

[Avatar]

The planet was also designed for death.

We have a winning answer!

 

[Apollo Rhetor]

The fine-tuning argument is referring specifically to the physical constants of the universe. It is not talking about the hospitability of a particular planet or region of the universe.

 

[Jadis40]

There are 5 mass extinction events that we know of:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/planetearth/extinction_sidebar_000907.html

Cretaceous-Tertiary 65 million years ago
End Triassic extinction 199 million to 214 million years ago
Permian-Triassic extinction about 251 million years ago
Late Devonian extinction about 364 million years ago
Ordovician-Silurian extinction about 439 million years ago

All of which happened before homo sapiens was even a blip on the radar.

 

[[serious]]

The fine-tuning argument is referring specifically to the physical constants of the universe. It is not talking about the hospitability of a particular planet or region of the universe.

And since we've exhausted the theoretical posibilities of life with different rules, this means something.

 

[Danhalen]

The fine-tuning argument is referring specifically to the physical constants of the universe. It is not talking about the hospitability of a particular planet or region of the universe.

Does is it really matter? If the universe is fine tuned for life, why have there been so many mass extinctions?

 

[Avatar]

There are 5 mass extinction events that we know of:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/planetearth/extinction_sidebar_000907.html

Cretaceous-Tertiary 65 million years ago
End Triassic extinction 199 million to 214 million years ago
Permian-Triassic extinction about 251 million years ago
Late Devonian extinction about 364 million years ago
Ordovician-Silurian extinction about 439 million years ago

All of which happened before homo sapiens was even a blip on the radar.

You forgot the sixth, we're in the middle of it.

 

[Avatar]

Does is it really matter? If the universe is fine tuned for life, why have there been so many mass extinctions?

They power evolution.

 

[Danhalen]

They power evolution.

I believe it is more correct to say they are a factor in evolution. Mass extinctions to do support a universe fine tuned for life, but I do not think you are saying it does.

 

[AngryWomble]

I believe it is more correct to say they are a factor in evolution. Mass extinctions to do support a universe fine tuned for life, but I do not think you are saying it does.

No they don't, they power death and lots of it! And because all those ecological niches and been emptied and reshaped they're open for new species to enter them. So when life expands as populations take advantage of the new resources we have a whole fresh batch of species.....so again they power evolution.

 

[Blackmarch]

I have a simple question. If this planet was designed for life, why has there been so many mass extinctions?

Welll the problem is that so far no life on other planets has been found... which may or may not account for something in that regard.
But certainly dampens whether or not one can figure out the answer to that because all comparisons have no life on them, it would seem to point towards that this world was meant to have life rather than the other way around.

In other words how do we verify that this world was or was not designed for life when there are no similar things to compare it to?

 

[Molal]

I don't think mass extinctions are required for evolution to work. Evolution will work regardless.

The mass extinctions were caused by, one could say, random factors. They helped reset set the clock, and maybe push evolution into other areas; however, without these events, evolution would have continued.

We really don't have much information about the fine tuning of the universe for life. We only know that the current configuration of our solar system is fine tuned for life.

 

[Danhalen]

I don't think mass extinctions are required for evolution to work. Evolution will work regardless.

The mass extinctions were caused by, one could say, random factors. They helped reset set the clock, and maybe push evolution into other areas; however, without these events, evolution would have continued.

I completely agree.

We really don't have much information about the fine tuning of the universe for life. We only know that the current configuration of our solar system is fine tuned for life.

How do we know this?