Suppose we simplify the possibilities about the universe into three options:
- It is designed (or structured) as good for human consciousness.
- It is designed (or structured) as bad/evil for human consciousness
- It is not designed at all and is indifferent to human consciousness
From a human perspective, (2) and (3) seem practically similar: in both cases, our needs and desires are not prioritized. Humans suffer, struggle to meet basic needs, experience injustice, and eventually die. So 2 out of 3 possibilities imply a universe that is effectively hostile to consciousness. This also seems supported by historical evidence: wars, disease, famine, injustice, and widespread suffering across most of human history. The universe does not appear optimized for conscious well-being.
Given this, is it reasonable to conclude that we likely live in a hostile (or at least unfriendly) universe for consciousness?
How would philosophers evaluate this argument?
EDIT: After a couple hours of walking and thinking about this, I want to underline the following reasoning. If we treat the three options symmetrically, then there is roughly a 2/3 or ≈66%probability that we live in a hostile universe, either deliberately bad or indifferent. Only 1/3 or ≈33% corresponds to a universe designed as good for consciousness. This seems further grounded by historical evidence. We have thousands of years of wars, suffering, injustice, scarcity, and death. By contrast, there appears to be little evidence that the universe is designed for our well being. There are no clear miracles, no obvious benevolent designers, and very few exceptionally humane societies or leaders across history.
Also, we already create simulations in games where NPCs can live in utopia. It is possible to design a world where everyone is constantly happy, no one dies, there are no wars, and no sadness. This suggests that a good by design world is at least conceptually and practically possible. From this perspective, our universe does not look like a good design for consciousness, which again supports the idea that it is either hostile or indifferent.
So combining the probabilistic reasoning with the empirical record of widespread suffering, it seems plausible to conclude that we likely emerged in a hostile universe, either hostile by design or hostile through indifference.
Post scriptum: I have done some research and concluded that this idea is discussed in Buddhism (the suffering part), philosophical pessimism, and cosmic pessimism. I will try to study these views further and see how they address this idea.