From [1] (links therein might be more in-depth)

"stable matter, and therefore life and intelligent beings, could not exist if its value were much different. For instance, were α to change by 4%, stellar fusion would not produce carbon, so that carbon-based life would be impossible. If α were greater than 0.1, stellar fusion would be impossible, and no place in the universe would be warm enough for life as we know it."

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-structure_constant#Anthro...

> For instance, were α to change by 4%, stellar fusion would not produce carbon, so that carbon-based life would be impossible.

If it were to change by 4% in which direction?

> If α were greater than 0.1

Considering it's .007 that's a ridiculously huge change.

And I can't access the source article.

So thanks for trying but that's not very helpful.

Not 4% of 1, but 4% of α.

> Not 4% of 1, but 4% of α.

I know. But which direction? Higher, lower, or both? If it's 4% in both directions that's quite a coincidence.

And since we're talking about percentages of α, I will emphasize that going from .007 to .1 is a change of well over a thousand percent. That example is the exact opposite of the anthropic principle showing that we "could not exist if its value were much different"!

What did I say to deserve the downvotes?

Decrease by 4%, AFAIK.

Upvoted your downvoted comment.

I would highly recommend Martin Rees' Just Six Numbers. I've not read the actual book, but the author-narrated audio is a perennial mind-expanding yet strangely soporific bed time favourite of mine.

It's in the article, no?

> The constant is everywhere because it characterizes the strength of the electromagnetic force affecting charged particles such as electrons and protons

well for example when it says " Physicists have argued that if it were something like 1/138, stars would not be able to create carbon, and life as we know it wouldn’t exist."

I might like to read more conjecture as to what would exist if it were 1/138

and so forth.