Life is an organized disorder
Posted Jan28-11 at 04:27 AM by Demystifier
How can life be compatible with the second law of thermodynamics?
Here is how. Life is a self-organized system. A self-organized system is a system in which organization arises SPONTANEOUSLY, which means that the probability of the appearance of organization is large. But this means that self-organization is also a transition to a more probable state, i.e., to a state of higher entropy.
The confusion arises when entropy, i.e. highly probable state, i.e. disorder - is identified with the lack of organization. Disorder and the lack of organization are not the same. One can say that life is an organized disorder.
Source (in Croatian):
http://www.forum.hr/showpost.php?p=3...3&postcount=83
Here is how. Life is a self-organized system. A self-organized system is a system in which organization arises SPONTANEOUSLY, which means that the probability of the appearance of organization is large. But this means that self-organization is also a transition to a more probable state, i.e., to a state of higher entropy.
The confusion arises when entropy, i.e. highly probable state, i.e. disorder - is identified with the lack of organization. Disorder and the lack of organization are not the same. One can say that life is an organized disorder.
Source (in Croatian):
http://www.forum.hr/showpost.php?p=3...3&postcount=83
Total Comments 3
Comments
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But the classical work of Shannon shows that entropy increases if and only if information goes down! So, you have a new concept of entropy or of information.Posted Feb1-11 at 08:27 AM by Careful 
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Careful, why do you think that I have a new concept of entropy? What that new entropy would be?Posted Feb4-11 at 04:57 AM by Demystifier 
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Or you can think of life as a state of genuinely lower entropy, which does not contradict the second law of thermodynamics because it generates more entropy for the thermal bath, i.e. the surrounding environment. For instance, living things emit a lot of entropy-increasing body heat out into space.
Posted Mar14-12 at 10:11 PM by lugita15
