Survival of the fittest universe
I wrote earlier about the absurdity of reality. But paradoxically, this absurdity operates according to strict and predictable laws and mathematical formulae, like gravity, electromagnetism, or thermodynamics. Why these laws? Who or what defined them?
Consider evolution: No one sat down and designed creatures, yet living beings have intricately fine-tuned features—eyes, wings, intelligence—purely because only those possessing useful traits survived to reproduce. Evolution doesn’t create; it filters. What if the universe works similarly, not designed but naturally selected?
Imagine infinite primordial landscape of universes, each born from some cosmic chaos, each bearing their own randomly tossed dice of laws. In most of these universes, randomness reigns supreme. Gravity randomly fluctuates, electromagnetism never stabilizes, quantum effects rip reality apart before atoms even form. They never become "universes" as we understand them—more fleeting sparks, ephemeral and chaotic.
In some universes, gravity was slightly stronger, collapsing space into black holes immediately after formation. In others, gravity was weaker, leaving gas and particles drifting aimlessly, never coalescing into stars. Electromagnetic forces that deviated even marginally from their current strength failed to form stable atoms or prevented electrons from binding efficiently to atomic nuclei. Without precise nuclear forces, stars could not ignite fusion to create heavier elements, essential for planetary formation and life.
But what if a rare handful of universes, among infinitely many failed experiments, emerged with just the right configuration—stable enough, long-lasting enough, to "survive" and produce stars, galaxies, eventually planets, and perhaps even conscious beings capable of observing these very laws? Our universe would be exactly one such survivor: stable gravity, consistent quantum rules, the reliable march of thermodynamics—all perfectly arranged, not by a designer, but by survival itself.
In biology, eyes were not designed; rather, sight simply proved advantageous. Likewise, in cosmology, stable laws weren't purposefully set; they simply proved advantageous for cosmic survival. The universe’s laws are not rules handed down—they’re the winners of a cosmic lottery, the survivors from infinite trials and errors, now observed by the inhabitants who evolved in their stability.
The universe isn't lawful because it had to be, but because only a lawful universe could last long enough to ponder its own existence.