Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review Article
  • Published:

The anthropic principle and the structure of the physical world

Abstract

The basic features of galaxies, stars, planets and the everyday world are essentially determined by a few microphysical constants and by the effects of gravitation. Many interrelations between different scales that at first sight seem surprising are straightforward consequences of simple physical arguments. But several aspects of our Universe—some of which seem to be prerequisites for the evolution of any form of life—depend rather delicately on apparent ‘coincidences’ among the physical constants.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dirac, P. A. M. Nature 139, 323 (1937); Proc. R. Soc. 165A, 199 (1938).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Dicke, R. H. Nature 192, 440 (1961).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Carter, B. in Confrontation of Cosmological Theories with Observation (ed. Longair, M. S.) 291 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1974).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Hawking, S. W. Nature 248, 30 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Jordan, P. Die Herkunft der Sterne (Stuttgart, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Weisskopf, V. F. Science 187, 605 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dyson, F. J. in Aspects of Quantum Theory (eds Salam, A. & Wigner, E. P.) 213 (Cambridge University Press, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chandrasekhar, S. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 95, 207 (1935).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Press, W. H. preprint (1973).

  10. Salpeter, E. E. Astrophys. J. 140, 796 (1964).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Rees, M. J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 176, 483 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Silk, J. I. Nature 265, 710 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Sciama, D. W. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 113, 34 (1953).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. Rees, M. J. & Ostriker, J. P. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 179, 541 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Silk, J. I. Astrophys. J. 211, 638 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. White, S. D. M. & Rees, M. J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 183, 341 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Rees, M. J. Nature 275, 35 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Carr, B. J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 181, 293 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Zeldovich, Y. B. J.E.T.P. Lett. 24, 25 (1977).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Liang, E. preprint (1977).

  21. Zeldovich, Y. B. Sov. Phys. Uspecki 20, 945 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Isham, C. J., Salam, A. & Strathdee, J. Phys. Rev. D 3, 1805 (1971).

    ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  23. DeWitt, B. S. Phys. Rev. Lett. 13, 114 (1964).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  24. Carter, B. Large Numbers in Astrophysics and Cosmology Paper presented at Clifford Centennial Meet., Princeton (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Salpeter, E. E. Astrophys. J. 115, 326 (1952); Phys. Rev. 107, 516 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Hoyle, F. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 1, 121 (1954).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kahn, F. D. in Emerging Universe (eds Jacobs, K. C. & Saslaw, W. C.) 71 (Virginia University Press, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Weinberg, S. Phys. Rev. Lett. 19, 1264 (1967): Salam, A. in Elementary Particle Theory (ed. Svartholm, N.) (Almquist and Wiksell, Stockhohn, 1968).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Bruenn, S. W., Arnett, W. D. & Schamm, D. N. Astrophys. J. 213, 213 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Everett, H. Rev. mod. Phys. 29, 454 (1957).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  31. Wheeler, J. A. in Gravitation Ch. 44 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Patton, G. M. & Wheeler, J. A. in Quantum Gravity (eds Isham, C. J., Penrose, R. & Sciama, D. W.) Ch. 9 (Oxford University Press, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Carr, B., Rees, M. The anthropic principle and the structure of the physical world. Nature 278, 605–612 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/278605a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/278605a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing