But the odds of making the works of shakespeare are not infinite... So there is a certain chance that random characters will eventually generate Shakespeare's works... Only if you assume that there are additional constraints will the problem change, such as the lifespan of the universe. If the universe starts to settle into the big-crunch... won't that have an effect on time? Time is a property of space-time, so as the universe (if it ever does) starts going along the lines of a big-crunch scenario, wouldn't time never really stop for the monkey, given that he is immortal and not subject to spaghettification or somesuch? I might do some quick refreshers from A Brief History of Time later, but I'm just musing right now.

As for life forming... When you start to consider *everything*, the probability of anything in specific becomes infintesimal. What are the chances that our universe would develop with physical laws and forces (and metaphysical ones, etc.) that would support Life-As-We-Know-It? Do you mean that life must've been contrived, Larry? Then who contrived the contriver?

It could be possible that the infintesimal chance of LAWKI (Life as we know it) has occured and always will occur when you ask that question... because it has to have occured in order for the question to be asked by LAWKI.

There was an interesting little Sci-fi short story I read once... The premise was that universes are life. The DNA of universes is their physical laws. New universes are created through black hole 'budding'... Perhaps with help from life within universes. In that sense, the universe is life. Life, in fact, is such a tricky definition that I think almost anything in this vein of topic can be taken both ways...