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 maani wrote:

1.  As a result of the Big Bang, energy was "released"
2.  Had that energy not been released, it would not have created helium, hydrogen and the other initial elements.
3.  Had those elements not been created, other elements would not have been created.
4.  Had all the elements not been created, there would not have been "matter."
5.  Had matter not been created, there would not have been nebulae, etc.
6.  Had those nebulae not been created - and had gravity not played its part - there would be no stars or galaxies.
7.  If stars and galaxies had not been created, there would be no star systems.
8.  If star systems had not been created, there would be no planetary systems around some of those stars.
9. 
If planetary systems had not been created, our sun would not have
"captured" the nine (not ten?) known planets in its system.
10. 
If the sun had not captured the nine planets in its system - in the
exact configuration and distances - there would not have been a
planet in that system that had an "atmosphere" in which life could be created.
11. 
If that atmosphere around the third planet had not formed exactly as it
did, it would not have trapped the necessary elements and molecules
required to generate life.
12.  If it had not trapped the
necessary elements and molecules required to generate life, then even
one-celled life would not have formed.
13.  If one-celled life had not formed, then two-celled life could not have formed.
14.  If two-celled life had not formed, then the evolution of life would not have occurred.
15.  If the evolution of life had not occurred exactly
as it did, then some amphibians would not have become reptiles; some
reptiles would not have become birds and mammals; some mammals would
not have become primates; some primates would not have become
Australopithecus; Australopithecus would not have become Homo habilis;
Homo habilis would not have become Homo erectus; Homo erectus would not
have become Homo sapiens; and Homo sapiens would not have become Homo
sapiens sapiens.
Certainly one could look at the timeline "backward."  But that is not how the anthropic principle is arrived at.
Peace.

I know all that, Maani. perhaps I expressed myself badly. scientific
explanations are not teleologic. the field of teleology is left to
theology. what I meant is that science usually works the other way
round. science is there to predict what will happen given certain
premises. but the anthropic princiiple works this way: if only one of
these events in your list had not happened, mankind would never exist.
but that's no more than a banality. what is often derived from this
anthropic principle though is that there had to be a purpose in events
happening exactly this way, and this is used as a proof for the
existence of God. now as much as I believe in a deity, this argument
has holes. we might as well have arrived at some kind of "conscious
life" via a completely different road. we have no idea what this kind
of "conscious life" would have been like though; the earlier in the
stage the bifurcation would have taken place, the stranger the result
would seem to us humans. what if, for example, life would be based on
silicon and not on carbon?