Great show guys, but i just wanted to take a second to address the issue of the anthropic principle in all this. I'm not sure i heard it mentioned directly at all, and i know i heard the very weighted term "design" more than once. I don't think i mean to offer criticism here as much as hear what others think on the subject.
I may very well be inferring an unbalanced emphasis, unintentional or otherwise, based on my own prejudice, and should probably listen to the show again (in fact i will, but mostly for the information). My point is simply this in our current climate of scientific illiteracy, shouldn't scientist and scientific educators be careful about fostering unscientific ideas. Let's face it, the majority of american's pay lip service to the idea of a biblical god and though many of them will reject science when it contradicts the tenants of their faith, when a scientist gives the slightest indication of design in the universe, many will see it as a vindication of their entire religious doctrine and make no distinction between the concepts of conscious and unconscious design. Deist notions about the origins of our universe cannot really be effectively addressed by science as of yet. One can be intellectually honest, a good scientist, and still choose to hold deistic notions about the origins of the universe, and if these are Pamela's belief's then she has not lost any of the respect she has already gained from me in helping me to understand the universe.... that being said i also understand that we can't walk around worrying about how everything we say is going to be constrewed by others. I'm just terribly frustrated at the level of our intellectual dishonesty in this country.... it's not your fault. thank you for the show. i feel better now.
sorry about all the typo's.
any one want to talk about the anthropic principle?