Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life

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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Trouble at the EPA Part I: The Energetic 1. The Schrödinger Paradox 2. Simplicity 3. Eyes of Fire: Classical Energy Science 4. The Cosmic Casino: Statistical Mechanics 5. Nature Abhors a Gradient 6. The River Must Flow: Open Systems 7. Too Much, Not Enough: Cycles Part II: The Complex 8. Swirl World 9. Physics´ Own "Organisms" 10. Whirlpools and Weather Part III: The Living 11. Thermodynamics and Life 12. Brimstone Beginnings 13. Blue Planet Blues 14. Regress under Stress 15. The Secret of Trees 16. Into the Cool 17. Trends in Evolution Part IV: The Human 18. Health, Vigor, and Longevity 19. Economics 20. Purpose in Life Appendix: Principles of Open Thermodynamic Systems