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Excerpts
from The Science of Disorder From Chapter 1 There is no restriction as
to the kind of body that the First Law applies to; everything is a thermodynamic
system, from a Thermos jug, to a human body, to a house, to a chemical plant,
to the entire universe. Because of this all-unifying power, the First Law of
Thermodynamics has been called the greatest generalization of the natural
sciences. (Page 13.) The First Law gives us a
framework for what we can do and what we cannot do. We can transform energy
from one form to another, but we cannot create energy or destroy it. (Page
14.) From Chapter 2 Every process in Nature, no
matter how simple or how complicated, proceeds according to two Laws of
Nature: the Law of Energy and the Law of Entropy. The first one says there
exists in Nature a quantity called energy that remains constant. The second
says there exists in Nature a quantity called entropy that always increases.
(Page 29.) The Second Law is not
subject to the control of our technologies—no matter how advanced they
become. While it is possible to counteract the effects of other laws of
Nature—like gravity—through technology, it is impossible to reverse the
direction of entropy increases by any means whatsoever. The Second Law is in
absolute command. (Page 33.) From Chapter 3 Whether we are dealing with
chemical reactions that occur naturally or are produced by humans, the result
is the same—an increase in entropy of the thermodynamic system. This means
that the more chemicals we produce and use, the more we increase the disorder
around us. Today’s environmental problems are indeed consequences of the
Second Law. (Page 46.) Our world is becoming ever
more highly entropic as humans develop technologies that can move materials,
goods, chemicals, weaponry, people, machines, and messages faster and faster.
(Page 48.) We invented computers with
the hope that they would help us catch up with information processing.
However, computers have generated such an overwhelming amount of entropy of
their own that we cannot even keep up with that entropy. (Page 62.) From Chapter 4 The concept of
irreversibility of processes also applies to the knowledge we accumulate. As
knowledge expands, its entropy increases irreversibly. . . . Consequently,
every item of knowledge we acquire, especially about the inner workings of
Nature, adds a certain responsibility as to its usage. . . . As time goes on,
the applications of knowledge demand from us greater and greater wisdom.
(Page 79.) Basic science provides us
with knowledge and principles of how Nature works. It generates relatively
little entropy. Technology—the massive application of knowledge—produces a
tremendous amount of entropy and breeds complexity in our thermodynamic
system. (Page 82.) From Chapter 5 American workers—including
information technologists themselves—are being submerged in piles of data produced
by information technology. . . . Thanks to relentless advances in applied
physics, computers and communication devices are becoming increasingly faster
and interconnected, allowing more of us to produce, send, and receive bits of
information at increasingly faster rates and bigger chunks. Not surprisingly,
the word “infoglut” has become part of our vocabulary. (Page 100.) The high-entropic life is
taking its toll on Americans. . . . In an environment of uncertainty and
high-cost of living, more Americans are now working in order to survive. No
one imagined that the middle class would be squeezed; . . . Thus it now takes
two paychecks to support what many thought was a middle-class life. (Page
102.) Children, too, are feeling
the weight of this hectic, high-entropic family life. They understand that
they are being cheated out of childhood. (Page 103.) From Chapter 6 The runoff of chemical
fertilizers into rivers, lakes, and subterranean waters has created some
pernicious problems for humanity and other living organisms. (Page 115.) The impact of pesticides on
humans and the environment has reached a noticeable level. . . . Constant
exposure to pesticides has been linked to such medical disorders as
infertility, immune dysfunction, and various forms of cancer and birth
defects. (Page 119.) Humanity is beginning to
feel the consequences of the Laws of Thermodynamics, which are asserting
themselves with great authority. . . . In agriculture, as in all areas of
human endeavor, it is crucial that we pay attention to the Laws of
Thermodynamics, especially the Second Law. (Page 122.) From Chapter 7 As more greenhouse gases
are emitted, and more forests denuded, the planet’s thermodynamic clock keeps
ticking away. . . . We have to remind ourselves that we cannot come back to
today’s environment if we do not like the new one: the Second Law locks the
door behind us. (Page 136.) The Laws of Thermodynamics
tell us that the more things we try to control the more entropy we generate,
requiring the institution of even more controlling mechanisms. (Page 142.) From Chapter 8 Today, we feel economic
pressures from machines not only because they are more complex, but also
because they have a much shorter lifetime than their predecessors. (Page
160.) Economists’ externalities
are Nature’s entropy. Since the middle of nineteenth century, we have known
that all processes increase entropy. Yet only recently have economists begun
talking about externalities—because only recently have humans become a
high-entropic creature, generating massive amounts of entropy. (Page 163.) The message from
thermodynamics is clear: To reduce environmental externalities, we must
reduce energy transformations and processes. Economists and policymakers have
to recognize the fact that the production of externalities is not a
technological issue but a scientific one emanating from the Second Law of
Thermodynamics, which cannot be repealed. (Page 171.) From Chapter 9 Various names are given to entropy.
As noted in earlier chapters, economists call it externalities, ecologists
call it waste products, physicians call it side effects, physicists and
chemists call it disorder, environmentalists call it pollution, sociologists
call it the dark side of progress, while historians call entropy the
unintended consequences of technology. (Page 184.) The entropies produced by
“free trade” and globalization of commerce gradually picked up momentum in
the 1980s, especially after the demise of the From Chapter 10 Technological advances
provide us with many new conveniences, but also create many opportunities for
waste. As energy-efficiency advocate Amory Lovins points out, “the We have reached a point in
our thermodynamic evolution where we can no longer ignore the entropies
generated by our intellectual activities and economic processes. The
accumulated entropies have become too obvious—even to untrained observers.
(Page 213.) To reduce environmental
disorders and waste, we need to reduce energy transformations and processes.
(Page 223.) From Chapter 11 The more power we exert on
Nature and each other, the more friction and entropy we generate, thus
creating a maelstrom of problems for humankind. Today’s environmental,
social, political, and economic disorders are consequences of all the power
we have exerted on Nature and on each other—one person on another, one
political group on another, one economic system on another, one nation on
another, and one ideological group on another. (Page 233.) Today we have more degrees
of freedom to exert power and generate entropy than ever before. With this
freedom must come the responsibility and the wisdom to use power with utmost
care. (Page 233.) |
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