Coping mechanisms for thermodynamics?

[WaffleFe]

Wasn’t sure whether I should post this here since it’s a more qualitative question, or under the Thermodynamics thread because that’s a more specific topic.

For all practical purposes, the laws of thermodynamics are inviolable, and statistical mechanics puts them on an even firmer theoretical footing. Being forced to acknowledge that the forward-arrow of time is synonymous with the increase in entropy of a closed system is really depressing, since it immediately implies that on a long-enough timescale, everything’s going to fall apart: I could try to dedicate my life to using my science knowledge to improve the world and improve other people’s lives, but knowing that in the long run it won’t actually matter robs me of all motivation to make the attempt (or, for that matter, to do much of anything).

I’ve tried explaining this to my non-physicist friends, but they all seem to think I’m just demonstrating an unhealthy opinion or perspective of reality; I keep trying to explain to them that it’s no more my opinion that S = k log W any more than it’s my opinion that E = mc^2, but they don’t seem to get it: I’m not claiming that reality is pointless, reality is claiming that reality is pointless (it’s just doing so using a language that non-mathy people can’t speak). So far I haven’t gotten through to them, though; they all think the problem is with me and not with nature.

I guess some people would turn to religion or a belief in the afterlife as an answer to the apparent futility of this life, but that’s not really an option for me: I’m an empiricist and can’t really bring myself to believe in a worldview not supported by any evidence. Has anybody here managed to come up with a successful psychological coping mechanism to not get depressed or apathetic in the face of the Big Ugly Second Law? I’ve tried asking around but haven’t found any particularly satisfying answers; curious if y’all have had any better luck or if this is the sort of thing that requires therapy

 

[collinsmark]

If you're looking for an alternative to the mostly accepted relationship between the arrow of time and entropy, you might want to check out one of Julian Barbour's books, such as The Janus Point: A New Theory of Time.

His and his team's proposal is that too much emphasis has been placed on entropy when discussing time (in part because entropy is ill-defined for an expanding universe), and a better metric for explaining the nature of time is complexity.

I've read a little more than half of The Janus Point, and never got around to finishing it. I'll leave my critiques to myself (if for no other reason that I haven't finished the book yet). You can google critiques from other physicists; I won't include them here for the sake of brevity.

 

[Hamiltonian]

I guess some people would turn to religion or a belief in the afterlife as an answer to the apparent futility of this life, but that’s not really an option for me: I’m an empiricist and can’t really bring myself to believe in a worldview not supported by any evidence. Has anybody here managed to come up with a successful psychological coping mechanism to not get depressed or apathetic.

I can relate, Physics and Astronomy gives us enough evidence that our lives have no real purpose, we are just here for a cosmic blink of an eye and then we will be gone. There is no inherent purpose/plan for us, the universe really couldn't care less. initially this scared me and made me pretty depressed. Similar to you, I tried discussing these ideas with my parents/friends but sadly most of them could not relate, my mother(she has never studied science) told me that the only point of life is to be happy and to try and make the lives of the people around you happier & better. I don't know if I fully agree with her, but wouldn't you rather be happy(or at least try to be happy) rather than a sad/depressed person with no motivation to do anything?

Feynman more than anyone knew about the pointlessness of everything,
"Nobody ever figures out what life is all about. and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you can go into it deeply enough" -Feynman
I think at the moment I am trying to live by this quote of his, maybe you could also give it a shot?

 

[Tom.G]

As one empiricist to another, I have two ( and a half) comments:

"Nobody ever figures out what life is all about. and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you can go into it deeply enough" -Feynman

and

http://www.google.com/search?&q=serenity+prayer

(the "half" is, per your suggestion, therapy)

 

[Bandersnatch]

How is it, I wonder, that we all seem to enter adulthood with such a patently silly misconception that anything we do >should< matter forever to be worth doing? And then we get all morose when self-reflection comes.
Embrace it. It was never true of the world to begin with, why do you miss the wrong idea? It's like missing the warm feeling the Bohr model gave you. Now you know better, and you can create your own meaning in the brief time the universe will dream of itself through you.
Maybe read some existentialists. They've been there. Nietche, Kierkegaard. Or - maybe better - Camus.
Obligatory visual aid:

 

[Borek]

Let's put it on the timeline. For all we know:

1. Sun will explode in billions of years.
2. Species we know survive for at most tens of millions of years (some a bit longer, although it is questionable whether they are the same species all the time).
3. Civilizations don't survive for more than several thousands of years before they collapse.

Yet it is much more distant thermal death of the Universe that bothers you?

 

[DrClaude]

Wasn’t sure whether I should post this here since it’s a more qualitative question, or under the Thermodynamics thread because that’s a more specific topic.

I've moved the thread to Thermodynamics since this is a scientific discussion.

 

[russ_watters]

...but knowing that in the long run it won’t actually matter robs me of all motivation to make the attempt (or, for that matter, to do much of anything).

I’ve tried explaining this to my non-physicist friends, but they all seem to think I’m just demonstrating an unhealthy opinion or perspective of reality; I keep trying to explain to them that it’s no more my opinion

Heat death is a theoretical prediction (not opinion). Heat death means life is futile is an opinion/belief, and an unhealthy one. If this opinion/belief is impacting how you live your life, you need to see a psychologist to work that out. If it's a serious impact, that potentially puts it into the realm of a medical emergency. Do not take it lightly.

I strongly disagree with my colleague: This is not science. I'm locking the thread. But we can discuss in the mod forum...

 

[berkeman]

After a Mentor discussion, the thread will stay closed. Thank you everyone.