Take the sentence - he doesn't like dogs. This implies that he has preferences and those preferences do not contain dogs. It is one thing to say the universe lacks consciousness, or that it is incapable of care because it is inanimate. It is another to give it a preference, saying it does not care about us.

Honestly, I think you're reading too far into the phrasing. Very few would infer that the author thinks there are things the universe does care about.