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Originally Posted by anthonyb
The flip side of that view is that only a certain set of physical constants and arrangements could result in conditions that would lead to life in the first place, so the fact that we are around to decipher the universe means that we are predetermined to find a universe that behaves in a certain way.
In other words, it very well could've worked out a different way, but if it did, we wouldn't be around to point that out. 
Are you asking what the role of numbers is as used by humans? Or are you asking what the role of numbers is in the operation of the universe? |
I agree comppletely on the first point.
I was intending to ask what role numbers play in the operation of the universe. In fact, I think the question puzzling me is the extent to which we can say that numbers (or at least numbers as constants) are 'causes' of things.