From: scerir (scerir@libero.it)
Date: Thu Mar 27 2003 - 15:22:34 MST
Conflict between anthropic reasoning and observation
http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0303070
Ken D. Olum
7 pages, RevTeX
Anthropic reasoning often begins with the premise that we should expect to
find ourselves typical among all intelligent observers. However, in the
infinite universe predicted by inflation, there are some civilizations which
have spread across their galaxies and contain huge numbers of individuals.
Unless the proportion of such large civilizations is unreasonably tiny, most
observers belong to them. Thus anthropic reasoning predicts that we should
find ourselves in such a large civilization, while in fact we do not. There
must be an important flaw in our understanding of the structure of the
universe and the range of development of civilizations, or in the process of
anthropic reasoning.
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