The article is by David Levy (yes, that one). He starts out with "Have
you ever thought about how truly amazing life is ? It thrives everywhere
on earth, so most of us rarely consider how fragile it is - how, if a few
conditions were not just right, life would not exist at all."
He refers to Nobelist George Wald's belief that life would be impossible
if any of these changed: 1) ice floats preventing bodies of water from
freezing solid, 2) the night sky is dark - a result of our universe
being of finite age, 3)protons and electrons have identical magnitude
charges neutralizing a force much greater than gravity, 4) the sun is
the right kind - not a member of a close multiple system, and does not
vary in brightness much, and is right temperature.
Mr. Levy makes no theistic conclusions from all this, but the evidence is
out there non-the-less. He concludes, "That the whole tapestry of life
is based on a few fundamental principles, and that those principles have
allowed life to go as far as it has, is a miracle. The use of that term
is intriguing.
Does anyone have more information on George Wald and his views ?
Al McCarrick
mccarric@mailgate.navsses.navy.mil