Version 1
: Received: 4 November 2024 / Approved: 4 November 2024 / Online: 5 November 2024 (08:48:48 CET)
How to cite:
Lineweaver, C. H. Darwinian Evolution as a Product of the Second Law: Biotic Entropy Production in the Universe. Preprints2024, 2024110269. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0269.v1
Lineweaver, C. H. Darwinian Evolution as a Product of the Second Law: Biotic Entropy Production in the Universe. Preprints 2024, 2024110269. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0269.v1
Lineweaver, C. H. Darwinian Evolution as a Product of the Second Law: Biotic Entropy Production in the Universe. Preprints2024, 2024110269. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0269.v1
APA Style
Lineweaver, C. H. (2024). Darwinian Evolution as a Product of the Second Law: Biotic Entropy Production in the Universe. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0269.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Lineweaver, C. H. 2024 "Darwinian Evolution as a Product of the Second Law: Biotic Entropy Production in the Universe" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0269.v1
Abstract
There is much confusion about the apparent opposition between Darwinian evolution and the second law of thermodynamics. Entropy and entropy production play a more important role in the origin of life and Darwinian evolution than is generally recognized. Here I argue that (i) Darwinian evolution is a product of the second law, in that life forms are far from equilibrium dissipative systems that have come into existence because of gradients in the universe, and that (ii) life enhances the 2nd law by increasing entropy production. Since the 2nd law involves entropy increase, we go beyond it with an hypothesis that involves the increase of entropy production. Gould proposed a wall of minimal complexity to explain an apparent increase in biological complexity. I show that a tendency for entropy production to increase offers a better explanation for the simultaneous increase of both biological complexity and simplicity. I review a simple universe-in-a-cup-of-coffee model and propose an alternative operational definition of complexity that it is proportional to entropy production. Finally, I sketch the cosmic history of entropy production and use it to evaluate the effectiveness of the hypothesis that there is a tendency for entropy production to increase.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
