Video: Paul Davies - Origin of the Laws of Physics

Paul Davies was our Science & Religion speaker this past November. He is a very interesting and thoughtful person and he always has interesting things to say. Here is the video of his talk, Origin of the Laws of Physics (abstract is below the video):

Dr. Paul Davis at Hampshire College from Hampshire TV on Vimeo.

Abstract

Orthodox science treats the laws of physics as timeless, immutable and universal mathematical relationships that were imprinted on the universe from birth. The origin and form of the laws is considered to be beyond the scope of science.

Recently, however, some physicists and cosmologists have puzzled that the laws of physics seem to be weirdly well-suited for life, in the sense that even small changes would not permit the existence of living organisms and hence observers. One attempt to explain this “fine tuning” of the laws is to invoke a multiverse of universes, each with its own laws. In my lecture I shall critically examine the multiverse theory, and other responses to the enigma of our “Goldilocks universe.”