An alternative to the infinite multiverse?

From Keith Ward, Why There Almost Certainly Is a God: Doubting Dawkins (Oxford: Lion, 2008), a couple of comments about the notion of an infinite multiverse as a way of accounting for apparent cosmic fine-tuning:

It has to be admitted . . . that this is a very extravagant theory.  It completely contradicts the principle of Occam’s Razor, which says that you should not multiply entities unnecessarily.  One of Dawkins’ main motivations is to explain the complex in terms of simpler parts and general laws.  But that motivation disappears completely if we have an infinite number of universes, and every possible combination of laws.  Dawkins resists this conclusion by saying that ‘if each of those universes is simple in its fundamental laws, we are still not postulating anything highly improbable’.  That sounds like a desperate attempt to save a failed theory.  The hypothesis that every possible universe exists is the most extravagant hypothesis anyone could think of, and it breaks Occam’s rule of simplicity with a resounding smash.  If the simple is good, then the fewer universes there are the better.  (56-57)

I agree with Dawkins that it would be preferable to have a simpler, less extravagant theory, if we could.  Luckily, such a theory exists.  It is God.  If you introduce God, you can say that all Platonic turtles do exist, but they all exist in the mind of God, who is not a turtle at all.  The God hypothesis agrees completely with the argument that, if there is going to be a final explanation of the universe, it has to be in terms of an eternal and necessary being.  But instead of having a huge set of complicated quantum laws and a very finely balanced set of fundamental physical forces, all of which are realized sooner or later by some unknown principle, it postulates just one being, a cosmic mind or consciousness.  (57)

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And, while we’re at it, here’s an interesting scientific curiosity:

“Earth’s Inner Core Shouldn’t Technically Exist”

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And here’s a nice example of human curiosity:

“Researchers Just Scanned 14 Worlds from the Kepler Mission for ‘Technosignatures’, Evidence of Advanced Civilizations”

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In the meantime, this article should challenge residents of the United States of America:

“Why South Koreans now live longer than Americans: And will soon live longer still.”

And here’s yet another reason not to be entirely complacent:

“US flu season now as bad as 2009 swine flu epidemic: Some doctors say this is the worst flu season they have seen in decades. Some people are saying that, too”