Scientists, theologians, and philosophers have all sought to answer
the questions of why we are here and where we are going. Finding
this natural basis of life has proved elusive, but in the eloquent
and creative Into the Cool, Eric D. Schneider and Dorion Sagan look
for answers in a surprising place: the second law of
thermodynamics. This second law refers to energy's inevitable
tendency to change from being concentrated in one place to becoming
spread out over time. In this scientific tour de force, Schneider
and Sagan show how the second law is behind evolution, ecology,
economics, and even life's origin. Working from the precept that
"nature abhors a gradient," Into the Cool details how complex
systems emerge, enlarge, and reproduce in a world tending toward
disorder. From hurricanes here to life on other worlds, from human
evolution to the systems humans have created, this pervasive pull
toward equilibrium governs life at its molecular base and at its
peak in the elaborate structures of living complex systems.
Schneider and Sagan organize their argument in a highly accessible
manner, moving from descriptions of the basic physics behind energy
flow to the organization of complex systems to the role of energy
in life to the final section, which applies their concept of energy
flow to politics, economics, and even human health. A book that
needs to be grappled with by all those who wonder at the organizing
principles of existence, Into the Cool will appeal to both
humanists and scientists. If Charles Darwin shook the world by
showing the common ancestry of all life, so Into the Cool has a
similar power to disturb-and delight-by showing the common roots in
energy flow of all complex, organized, and naturally functioning
systems. "Whether one is considering the difference between heat
and cold or between inflated prices and market values, Schneider
and Sagan argue, we can apply insights from thermodynamics and
entropy to understand how systems tend toward equilibrium. The
result is an impressive work that ranges across disciplinary
boundaries and draws from disparate literatures without
blinking."-Publishers Weekly
General
Imprint: |
University of Chicago Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
December 2006 |
First published: |
December 2006 |
Authors: |
Eric D. Schneider
|
Dimensions: |
228 x 152 x 22mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
378 |
Edition: |
New edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-226-73937-3 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-226-73937-6 |
Barcode: |
9780226739373 |
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