Peterson’s statement yesterday reminded me of one of Peterson’s posts that I compared to Wikipedia several months ago. I finished writing up my conclusions today, and offer the following in refutation of Peterson’s assertion above. He begins by laying out a project. Note the bolded part.
Fine-Tuning and Dimensionless Physical Constants
NOVEMBER 15, 2019 BY DAN PETERSON
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... tants.html
DCP:
For a long-term project that I have in mind, I’m trying to formulate discussions of certain scientific concepts. I want eventually to publish what I’m working on, but a major initial goal is simply to be certain that I myself understand what I’m talking about.
I make no claim to either originality or finality at this point, and I would be happy if anybody with substance expertise decides to chime in — charitably and gently, I hope! — with suggestions or corrections:
[bolding added]
So far, so good. If it is not original, there should be citations, but there are none to be found. In the following sections, I post the wiki reference first, then Peterson’s version. Note that even Wikipedia cites others’ work with footnotes, but none of that information, nor a Wikipedia citation, makes it into Peterson’s work, in spite of his assertion above:
As usual, Peterson’s exact plagiarized sections are in blue:
wikipedia, fine-tuned universe, version online nov 8, 2019 [first paragraph]
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?ti ... =925204360
The fine-tuned universe is the proposition that the conditions that allow life in the Universe can occur only when certain universal dimensionless physical constants lie within a very narrow range of values, so that if any of several fundamental constants were only slightly different, the Universe would be unlikely to be conducive to the establishment and development of matter, astronomical structures, elemental diversity, or life as it is understood.[1][2][3][4]
DCP:
The proposition that the universe is fine-tuned for life asserts that the conditions that allow life to exist can occur only when certain universal dimensionless physical constants lie within a very narrow range of values. In other words, if any one of several fundamental constants were only slightly different, the universe would likely be inhospitable to the establishment and development of matter, of astronomical structures, of diversity in chemical elements, and (therefore) of biological life in any sense that we currently know or understand or can really envision.
wiki, physical constant [first paragraph]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_constant
A physical constant, sometimes fundamental physical constant or universal constant, is a physical quantity that is generally believed to be both universal in nature and have constant value in time. It is contrasted with a mathematical constant, which has a fixed numerical value, but does not directly involve any physical measurement.
DCP:
What is a physical constant? It is a physical quantity — sometimes called a universal constant or a fundamental physical constant — that is generally believed to both universal in its nature and to have a constant value over time. (A mathematical constant, by contrast,also has a fixed numerical value but doesn’t directly involve any actual physical measurement.)
Wiki, speed of light [1st paragraph]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light
The speed of light in vacuum, commonly denoted c, is a universal physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its exact value is 299792458 metres per second (approximately 300000 km/s (186000 mi/s)[Note 3]).
DCP:
Current science is aware of a number of physical constants. Of these, probably the most famous is c, the speed of light in a vacuum. (It appears, for example, in the famous Einsteinean equation E = mc2.) Its exact value is 299792458 meters per second (or approximately 300000 km/s (186000 mi/s).
wiki, speed of light, [4th paragraph, footnote 6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light
In 1905, Albert Einstein postulated that the speed of light c with respect to any inertial frame is a constant and is independent of the motion of the light source.[6]
DCP:
In 1905, Einstein’s special theory of relativity postulated that the speed of light c with respect to any inertial frame is a constant and that it is independent of the motion of the light source.
wiki, Physical constant [second paragraph]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_constant
There are many physical constants in science, some of the most widely recognized being the speed of light in vacuum c, the gravitational constant G, the Planck constant h, the electric constant ε0, and the elementary charge e.
DCP:
Others physical constants include the gravitational constant G, the Planck constant h, the electric constant ε0, and the elementary charge e.
wikipedia, dimensionless physical constant, version online Nov 13, 2019 [1st paragraph]
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?ti ... =925959888
In physics, a dimensionless physical constant, sometimes called a fundamental physical constant, is a physical constant that is dimensionless, i.e. a pure number having no units attached and having a numerical value that is independent of whatever system of units may be used. Perhaps the best-known example is the fine-structure constant, α, which has an approximate value of 1⁄137.036.
DCP:
What does it mean to speak of dimensionless physical constants? Dimensionlessness (to coin a word, perhaps) means that the physical constant is a pure number having no units attached and having a numerical value that is independent of whatever system of unitsor measurement may be used. Perhaps the best-known example of a dimensionless physical constant is the fine-structure constant, α, which has an approximate value of 1⁄137.036.
How much more directly and significantly can one quote from Wikipedia?