Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-236) and index

Introduction -- Verbal and mathematical logic relating to questions presented -- Case against accident from mathematical probabilities in molecular biology -- The problem of complexity : the generation of sufficient information content -- Case against accident from precision of values in particle astrophysics required for the formation of life -- Ethical implications of chance or impersonal beginning -- Summary and conclusion -- Appendix : some important physical values

In this book, Dean L. Overman uses logical principles and mathematical calculations to answer the questions that have long perplexed biologists and astrophysicists: Is it mathematically possible that accidental processes caused the formation of the first form of living matter from non-living matter? Could accidental processes have caused the formation of a universe compatible with life? Are current self-organization scenarios for the formation of the first living matter plausible?

Overman reviews the influence of metaphysical assumptions in logical analysis, and discusses the principles of logic applicable to these questions, examining the limitations of verbal and mathematical logic. He proceeds to demonstrate that it is mathematically impossible that accidental processes produced the first living matter. The author also examines other issues related to the creation of the universe, including Stephen Hawking's no boundary proposal, the need for a Creator as the preserving cause of the universe, and the explanations offered by the weak and strong anthropic principles