Entropy LO19735

Winfried Dressler (winfried.dressler@voith.de)
Wed, 4 Nov 1998 10:12:22 +0100

Replying to LO19727 --

John Zavaki wrote:
>I have always believed that
>the human is the anti-entropic device, the provider of feedback and feed
>forward, the controller, orderer, improver of systems.

One word, two nearly opposite meanings:

"Entropy" 1: Entropy production as a necessary condition for order to
emerge out of chaos. This is the breakthrough discovery of Ilya Prigogine
and "irreversible thermodynamic", and an issue, we can learn more about,
when reading At de Langes posts.

"Entropy" 2: The word "entropy" is widely used as synonym for disorder or
chaos. And entropy production reads as increasing disorder.

Increasing disorder is only one aspect of entropy production. If we
identify entropy with disorder, how shall we name the necessary condition
for order to emerge? "Feedback and feed forward", "selforganisation", "
the controller, orderer, improver"? But how does this work? When we try to
answer this question, we will arrive at the other side of the coin
"entropy production". It is the same coin! It is by no means
"anti-entropic", although it definitely is "anti-disorder".

I understand At de Lange is preparing a contribution to clearify this
issue. I am really looking forward to this and recommend it to all who
would subscribe to the second meaning today.

Liebe Gruesse,

Winfried Dressler

-- 

"Winfried Dressler" <winfried.dressler@voith.de>

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