Dave Birren, MB-5, 608-267-2442 wrote:
> Roberto writes:
> >We humans arise from simple physical/chemical processes which recursively
> >self organize into adaptive complex systems. But these simple processes
> >are unconscious, automatic, darwinian; they are basic but mindless
> >building blocks. By focusing on these physical processes and trying to
> >map them into the behaviour of social organizations, we work at too small
> >a scale; we end up looking at the building blocks, not at the richly
> >complex emergent properties that these building blocks yield.
>
> Just this morning I was reading _The Road Less Traveled_ by M. Scott Peck.
> He says that physical evolution appears to violate the second law of
> thermodynamics, namely that left to themselves natural processes will
> degenerate to a state of entropy, or complete lack of differentiation at
> the lowest energy level. He goes on to posit God as the basis for this,
> but I'm looking for a more satisfying answer. Can anyone explain how
> evolution works? I'm not talking about the process of mutation and
> natural selection; I'm wondering about why the second law of
> thermodynamics, as Peck expressed it, doesn't seem to operate. What is at
> work and how does it operate? How do natural systems emerge and increase
> in their complexity?
>
> Dave
The difference between evoloutionary behavior and the the behavior of
systems under the law of entropy is simply: feedback. The behavior of the
universe is entropic. Our little green plant contains life forms which wil
survive. The adapt and mutate. The grander scheme is a system of rocks.
The don't adjust they're course if they're knocked out of orbit and can't
prevent themselves from imploding by taking on more energy.
-- jzavacki@epix.net John Zavacki The Wolff Group 900 James Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 Phone: 717-346-1218 Fax: 717-346-1388