If Alpha [the Fine-structure Constant] Were Bigger Than It Really Is, We Should Not Be Able To Distinguish Matter From Ether [the Vacuum, Nothingness], And Our Task To Disentangle The Natural Laws Would Be Hopelessly Difficult. The Fact However That Alpha Has Just Its Value 1/137 Is Certainly No Chance But Itself A Law Of Nature. It Is Clear That The Explanation Of This Number Must Be The Central Problem Of Natural Philosophy.

-Max Born

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If Alpha [the Fine-structure Constant] Were Bigger

Max Born

If Alpha [the Fine-structure Constant] Were Bigger Than It Really Is, We Should Not Be Able To Distinguish Matter From Ether [the Vacuum, Nothingness], And Our Task To Disentangle The Natural Laws Would Be Hopelessly Difficult. The Fact However That Alpha Has Just Its Value 1/137 Is Certainly No Chance But Itself A Law Of Nature. It Is Clear That The Explanation Of This Number Must Be The Central Problem Of Natural Philosophy.

Topic

Philosophy

Law

Numbers

Something Which Is Against Natural Laws Seems To Me Rather Out Of The Question Because It Would Be A Depressive Idea About God. It Would Make God Smaller Than He Must Be Assumed. When He Stated That These Laws Hold, Then They Hold, And He Wouldn't Make Exceptions. This Is Too Human An Idea. Humans Do Such Things, But Not God.

Law

Ideas

Atheism