ABSTRACT
Some of the consequences of the anthropic cosmological principle are discussed. The basic evidence that originally gave rise to the anthropic concept is examined, and the example of the existence of extraterrrestrial intelligence is used to illustrate certain inconsistencies in the standard arguments. The chapter then attempts to develop a sound philosophical basis for a theory that integrates man and nature into the totality of the world. It is shown that most of the inconsistencies in the anthropic arguments can be removed, once an integrative view is taken that abolishes the separation of man as subject and nature as object, respectively. The theories of Bloch, Sartre, and Schelling are reviewed within this framework. The more explicit example of Penrose's twistor theory is also considered.
