Have you heard of the anthropic principle?

This principle addresses the seemingly improbable conditions that allow for our existence in the universe. When discussing the habitability of our planet and the odds of us living in a universe that supports life, the anthropic principle suggests that we can observe and reflect on these conditions because they are precisely what have allowed for our existence.

In a broader context, this principle comes in two main forms: the Weak Anthropic Principle (WAP) and the Strong Anthropic Principle (SAP). The Weak Anthropic Principle posits that the universe's physical laws and parameters are observed to allow life because only in a universe capable of eventually supporting life will there be beings capable of observing and reflecting on these laws. In simpler terms, we can observe a universe conducive to life because we are a product of such a universe.

The Strong Anthropic Principle takes a more assertive stance, suggesting that the universe must have properties that inevitably lead to the development of conscious life at some point in its history.

Critics of the anthropic principle argue that it can border on tautology and doesn't provide a causal explanation for why the universe is the way it is. Instead, it merely states that if things were different, we wouldn't be here to notice them. This perspective shifts the focus from why the universe is habitable to the observation that we are here because it is habitable, which doesn't necessarily explain the underlying mechanisms or reasons for the universe's life-supporting conditions.