The Goldilocks Enigma

The Goldilocks Enigma – Paul Davies

Imagine a universe in which gravity was slightly stronger, or the force binding atomic nuclei slightly weaker. According to physicists, such small changes could have prevented the formation of stars, galaxies or the chemical elements needed for life. Our universe, it seems, is set up just right. In The Goldilocks Enigma: Why Is the Universe Just Right for Life?, physicist Paul Davies investigates this remarkable feature of reality and what it might tell us about our place in the cosmos.

Davies, a prolific author of popular science books, first leads readers through the story of modern cosmology, including the Big Bang, the expansion of the universe, the nature of matter and forces, dark energy and theories that attempt to unify physics. He then examines the evidence for fine-tuning, the apparent sensitivity of life to the precise values of physical constants.

The second half of the book considers the major explanations. Some scientists argue that the fine-tuning is a coincidence or that a deeper theory will show the constants could not have been otherwise. Others propose a multiverse, in which countless universes exist with different properties, so that observers inevitably find themselves in one that permits life. Some see evidence of a designer. Davies weighs each option fairly, pointing out problems with all of them, and then offers a speculative proposal of his own in which life and observers are somehow built into the explanation of the universe.

Readable and balanced, this book, also published as Cosmic Jackpot, will engage readers who enjoy big questions. The Goldilocks Enigma rewards curious readers, though its final ideas are speculative.