A friend of mine recently asked me if I knew how entropy and evolution could be reconciled. This is not a theological question, nor is it a biological one – it is primarily rooted in physics. Now, as a biologist I can talk for hours on the experiential evidence for evolution without ever once having to think or refer to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. I have been told that the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which deals with entropy, is the one solid empirical fact we have about our universe, that it will hold true even if everything else we know turns out to be false. I cannot speak to the truth of that, but I do know that evolution is a real phenomenon, and if entropy is as real as physicists claim it is, then the two truths cannot contradict one another.
Showing posts with label Thermodynamics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thermodynamics. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Does the Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy) Contradict Evolution?
A friend of mine recently asked me if I knew how entropy and evolution could be reconciled. This is not a theological question, nor is it a biological one – it is primarily rooted in physics. Now, as a biologist I can talk for hours on the experiential evidence for evolution without ever once having to think or refer to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. I have been told that the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which deals with entropy, is the one solid empirical fact we have about our universe, that it will hold true even if everything else we know turns out to be false. I cannot speak to the truth of that, but I do know that evolution is a real phenomenon, and if entropy is as real as physicists claim it is, then the two truths cannot contradict one another.
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