At 11:57 PM 09/11/2000, you wrote:
>http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/u/jjkay/pubs/Life_as/text.html
>
>Very interesting article on dissipative systems, the SLOT and how it applies
>to living things.
>
>"In this paper we have recast the second law of thermodynamics from the old
>statement of "entropy increase" into a statement that describes systems
>undergoing processes so that they will reach a unique state of equilibrium.
>This description draws on the work of Carathˇodory, Hatsopoulos &
>Keenan, and Kestin. It allows for the discussion of system behaviour in
>nonequilibrium situations. It overcomes the difficulty of describing
>nonequilibrium systems in terms of entropy, which can only be defined in the
>equilibrium state. We suggest that, in nonequilibrium situations, systems
>will take advantage of all available means to resist the gradients
>responsible for the nonequilibrium condition. Furthermore, the stronger the
>applied gradient, the greater the effect that the equilibrium attractor
>will have on
>the system. Emergence of coherent self-organizing structures are the
>expected response of systems as they attempt to resist and dissipate the
>external gradients that are moving them away from equilibrium."
Chris
I've read the paper. I had no idea such basic work had been going on in
thermodynamics in recent decades. It's great stuff. Strictly speaking, of
course, systems don't "*attempt* to resist and dissipate external gradients
that are moving them away from equilibrium." As is usual in physics, this
type of talk is metaphorical. I would be inclined also to replace the word
"resist" with "compensate for," though the meaning is clear in context.
*However,* this gives me an idea: Not only are systems such as the
biosphere serving as heat-dissipators (that, in effect, is the real
"purpose" of life), but mind on Earth, and therefore human purpose are,
since they are aspects of the heat-dissipating, energy-using life that has
evolved on Earth, *also* consequences of the generalized principle of
thermodynamics that they describe.
If we get poetic enough, we could thus say that what became the biosphere
of the Earth "designed" life and purpose as a means of dissipating the
Sun's heat (and, to a lesser extent, heat from the Earth's core (in the
form of oceanic heat-vents, volcanoes, etc.). But, even as a metaphor, this
would be *un*intelligent design.
Of course, not just any system can develop life, heat gradient or not.
Other conditions (such as suitable materials) must be present in the
system. Also, of course, if the heat was too little, the Earth would have
found less-drastic ways to dissipate heat. It wouldn't have needed to
develop life. And, if the heat had been too much, if would have found
other, more-chaotic ways to dissipate heat, and, again, life would not evolve.
The "purpose" of dissipating heat (really, just its function) is to "try"
to move the system toward thermodynamic equilibrium. This would be achieved
when the gradient disappears. Since the Sun has not disappeared, and in
fact keeps pouring out more heat, the gradient does not disappear, so the
biosphere is *kept* from sinking to equilibrium, and will be so kept as
long as the heat coming at the Earth from the Sun is greater than the
energy coming at us from outer space and from within the Earth itself.
I think it's very interesting that such a general principle should have
such direct application to biological questions such as how and why life
originated and why it keeps evolving. Others, including myself, have made
the biological point that energy entering the biosphere is what "drives"
life and evolution as it works it's way through the system and back into
space, though I have not seen the point stated in anywhere near as much
elegance and with such rigor before.
The paper is definitely worth reading by those who want to better
understand life, including *human* life.
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