Carl Sagan and the Lithic Principle

One of my favorite topics to think about with regard to Christianity and science is what is known as the anthropic principle. Many of you may already know what the anthropic principle is, but for those who do not I will provide a short definition. The anthropic principle is the idea that science reveals the universe has been fine-tuned to be a hospitable place for intelligent beings like you and me. Further, this fine-tuning indicates the presence of a 'tuner,' namely God.

A while back I came across an interesting quote by the late Carl Sagan taken from his book Pale Blue Dot. In order to disparage the anthropic principle Sagan says this:

There is something stunningly narrow about how the Anthropic Principle is phrased. Yes, only certain laws and constants of nature are consistent with our kind of life. But essentially the same laws and constants are required to make a rock. So why not talk about a Universe designed so rocks could one day come to be, and strong and weak Lithic Principals? If stones could philosophize, I imagine Lithic Principals would be at the intellectual frontiers.

I thought on it for a while and I came up with what I might say in response. I'd like to start with the last sentence of his statement. "If stones could philosophize, I imagine Lithic Principals would be at the intellectual frontiers." I've never been one to be critical of intelligent people, but this statement makes me wonder if Sagan fully understood what the Anthropic Principle was really about. If rocks could indeed philosophize it would make perfect sense for them to come up with the Lithic Principle because the Anthropic Principle states that the universe was created in order to allow for intelligent life. If rocks were intelligent, then a Lithic Principle makes sense. The fact remains, however, that they are not and we humans are. Hence the Anthropic Principle.

Something else that supports the Anthropic Principle against Sagan's objection is the idea of Galactic Habitable Zones (GHZs). I'm taking this from Jay Wesley Richards, who works with the Discovery Institute. He has written a book with astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez called The Privileged Planet on the topic of GHZs.

In short, the book shows that our place in the galaxy is the best possible place from which the universe could be observed. So not only are the laws of nature such that we were able to come into existence, but these laws also show that the best place for us to come into existence will also be the best place in the galaxy from which to observe the rest of the galaxy! This demonstrates that the universe is not only structured so that things like rocks can exist, but it is also structured so that intelligent beings can exist and discover the nature of the universe itself. God has placed beautiful things throughout the universe, and He wants us to find them. This is in perfect harmony with passages like Romans 1:18-20.

Not only that, but this fact also tells us that God is intelligent and indicates that He loves His creation. Why else would He go to such a great extent to show His existence through His creation? I know what you may be thinking. "If God is omnipotent, how can we say that He went to a "great extent" to do anything? If God has all power isn't it just as easy for Him to do one thing as another?" In a word, yes, but then we must examine why God chose the option He did. Why didn't He just stick us somewhere where nearby stars would outshine the rest of the universe? God wanted us to see His works and conclude, "Wow, this must have come from somewhere!"