Asked by Makayla
The theory of evolution is opposed by the
Law of Thermodynamics.
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Short answer: No. The second law of thermodynamics does not oppose evolution.
Why not (key points):
- What the second law actually says: for an isolated (closed) system, total entropy—loosely a measure of disorder—cannot decrease over time. It does not forbid local decreases in entropy as long as the total entropy of the isolated system increases.
- Earth is not an isolated system. It receives a huge flux of energy from the Sun. That incoming energy powers processes (photosynthesis, weather, chemistry) that can produce local increases in order (lower entropy) on Earth while increasing entropy overall (for example, by heating the Sun and emitting radiation).
- Local decreases in entropy are common and perfectly compatible with the second law. Examples: crystal formation, the freezing of water locally, a refrigerator (it lowers entropy inside the fridge but raises entropy in the environment because it expends energy and produces heat).
- Biological order arises using free energy. Life builds and maintains order (cells, organisms) by using energy from food or sunlight and by increasing entropy elsewhere (waste heat, waste molecules). Metabolism and ecological processes produce a net increase of entropy in the Sun–Earth–space system.
- Evolution by natural selection is a process that changes populations over time; it does not require violating thermodynamics. It does not claim things continuously become more ordered in a global sense; evolution can produce increased complexity in some lineages while others remain simple or become simpler.
If you want to read more: Schrödinger’s What Is Life? gives an early, accessible discussion; more recent technical work includes papers on statistical physics of self-replication (e.g., Jeremy England). But the core point stands: thermodynamics and evolution are compatible because Earth is an open system with energy input.
Why not (key points):
- What the second law actually says: for an isolated (closed) system, total entropy—loosely a measure of disorder—cannot decrease over time. It does not forbid local decreases in entropy as long as the total entropy of the isolated system increases.
- Earth is not an isolated system. It receives a huge flux of energy from the Sun. That incoming energy powers processes (photosynthesis, weather, chemistry) that can produce local increases in order (lower entropy) on Earth while increasing entropy overall (for example, by heating the Sun and emitting radiation).
- Local decreases in entropy are common and perfectly compatible with the second law. Examples: crystal formation, the freezing of water locally, a refrigerator (it lowers entropy inside the fridge but raises entropy in the environment because it expends energy and produces heat).
- Biological order arises using free energy. Life builds and maintains order (cells, organisms) by using energy from food or sunlight and by increasing entropy elsewhere (waste heat, waste molecules). Metabolism and ecological processes produce a net increase of entropy in the Sun–Earth–space system.
- Evolution by natural selection is a process that changes populations over time; it does not require violating thermodynamics. It does not claim things continuously become more ordered in a global sense; evolution can produce increased complexity in some lineages while others remain simple or become simpler.
If you want to read more: Schrödinger’s What Is Life? gives an early, accessible discussion; more recent technical work includes papers on statistical physics of self-replication (e.g., Jeremy England). But the core point stands: thermodynamics and evolution are compatible because Earth is an open system with energy input.
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