Fine tuning: a discussion for the rest of us mortals

It sounds like you're saying that God invented friction for our convenience - i.e. so that we would "stick to the ground" when we walk. That's roughly the equivalent of saying, "The sky is blue because it's my favourite colour."Wouldn't it make more sense to say that the sky is blue because of the inherent physical properties of air and light? Similarly, wouldn't it make more sense to say that friction is a result of the inherent properties of matter?Those properties of matter would still be there even if we weren't here.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

There is no need for "need". You are arguing backwards from what we have, to an assumption that it was provided to fulfil a need. No. If any of those factors were different, then we would have "evoleved", as it were, in a different way - or we might not have evolved at all. There are some threads around here somewhere about the evolution of wings. There are wings - e.g. chicken wings - which don't allow flight. Apparently the wing evolved before the "need" for flight. It was something that "just happened" which was put to a use because it was already there. But that is entirely subjective. Once again, the idea of "necessary for survival" is thinking backwards. Life survives because of what is already there. There is no predefined "need".

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

"If a tree falls in the forest and there's nobody there, does it make a sound?"The real question there is, "What is the nature of 'sound'?" Is it the vibrations in the air caused by the falling tree? Or is it the vibrations striking the observer's eardrum and causing a perception in his/her brain?My point was that the vibrations will still be there whether there is an observer or not. Properties exist, with or without observers, with or without anybody to "prove" them, with or without anybody to call them "facts".(The other question which has intrigued the philosophers of the ages is: "How many 'Ringoisms' does it take to make me a character worthy of inclusion in robinrohan's play?)

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.