(Source: Google images)
Much like looking at rock strata formed over millions of years, observing distant stars, galaxies, or cosmic events, generate a sense of looking into the layers of time, 'frozen' in space. While Homo sapiens may not have developed a bodily sense to "feel" time, both geology and astronomy (‘palaetiological’ sciences) offer a unique window into this fourth dimension.
A few years ago, one of my friends mentioned a debated concept in geology called uniformitarianism. Broadly, it assumes that the present is the key to the past and the future. I realized that in cosmology, the strongly discredited Steady State Theory shared similar sentiments. So, if we project the current physical laws of nature to understand the distant past, aren't we looking at a different past—and therefore predicting a different future? (Extending to the anthropic principle).
So if certain conditions in our universe were just a little off, life would have never evolved. Just how is it that we're so fortunate? Of all possible universes, why did ours turn out like it did?
For instance, if electromagnetic force were slighly stronger than gravitational force, life would cease to exist.
Interestingly, the anthropic principle first appeared at the Krakow symposium-1973, dedicated to 500th birth anniversary of Copernicus, who had proposed the 'Copernicun principle', which does not associate any speciality to human existence.
(Source: Google images)
