gregor

Thanks for many informative posts!

In the “threads regarding evolution/creationism” I noticed that this issue is perhaps not very popular, but a point #9 in a post by tecoyah points to a creationist argument as a misunderstanding of the entropy law. I think there may be more misunderstandings here.

“9. The Second Law of Thermodynamics says that systems must become more disordered over time. Living cells therefore could not have evolved from inanimate chemicals, and multicellular life could not have evolved from protozoa. This argument derives from a misunderstanding of the Second Law. If it were valid, mineral crystals and snowflakes would also be impossible, because they, too, are complex structures that form spontaneously from disordered parts. The Second Law actually states that the total entropy of a closed system (one that no energy or matter leaves or enters) cannot decrease. Entropy is a physical concept often casually described as disorder, but it differs significantly from the conversational use of the word. More important, however, the Second Law permits parts of a system to decrease in entropy as long as other parts experience an offsetting increase. Thus, our planet as a whole can grow more complex because the sun pours heat and light onto it, and the greater entropy associated with the sun's nuclear fusion more than rebalances the scales. Simple organisms can fuel their rise toward complexity by consuming other forms of life and nonliving materials.”

I prefer a simplified version of the entropy law. “A physical (biological) system occupies its possible states in proportion to their probability of occurrence.” I also prefer the simplest possible definition of disorder, which may be calculated for any probability density function. Thus, the sun is hardly needed in a simplified debate on evolution.

Evolution is defined as random variation followed by selection in cyclic repetition where random variation produces disorder, while selection may produce order. Creationists are right in the sense that random variation does not produce order. But an enormous amount of disorder represented by millions of different species and billions of different individuals in certain species has been produced, in agreement with the entropy law because a more widespread gene pool is more disordered. When DNA-messages increase in length there will be more room for disorder. The order in the biosphere was biggest when the first living organism ruled the roost.
The illusion of order in the biosphere may be due to the fact that only a very tiny little fraction of all possible DNA-messages may manifest themselves as living organisms. Thus, the disorder becomes restricted (by selection), and this restricted disorder is interpreted as order (complexity) by both creationists and biologists. Intuitively, this may be understood, if we observe that the duality order-disorder is like cold-warmth. From a scientific point of view there is no cold, only limited warmth. Likewise (in the biosphere), there is no order, only limited disorder.

I agree that God can never be fully understood, but if science is a tool by which we may reach more knowledge about God, why must God and science necessarily be separated? If He/She created everything, then He/She also created the entropy law, which seems to be a very important tool in evolution.