The Science and Philosophy of the "Thermodynamic School" of Evolution
This short article was written by Mark Brown and published in 2023. Brown did his graduate work at the University of Florida under the guidance of H. T. Odum and is one of the leaders of the International Society for the Advancement of Emergy Research. In this article, he provides a brief overview of the…
This paper was written by Enrico Sciubba and published in 2011. It critically analyzes the maximum power principle, focusing primarily on Alfred Lotka’s formulation of the principle. Sciubba concludes that the weakness of Lotka’s view of evolution appears to be his insistence on the validity of a maximum principle. Sciubba suggests that contemporary scientists are…
Read More “What did Lotka really say? A critical reassessment of the “maximum power principle.”” »
This paper was written by Douglas S. Glazier and published in 2024. It provides one of the most comprehensive and detailed analyses of the relation between power and efficiency in living systems. He uses the results of his analysis to critically evaluate the principles that have been used to explain the evolution of living systems,…
This article was written by Iris Fry and published in 1995. She further developed these ideas in a book, Emergence of Life on Earth: A Historical and Scientific Overview, which was published in 2000. In the paper, she argues that what she calls the “thermodynamic school” of evolution provides a “law-governed” view of the “continuous…
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Henry Adams (1838-1918) was a historian and a member of the Adams family, which produced two presidents of the United States, John Adams and John Quincy Adams. He appears to be the first professional historian to correlate historical periods in terms of the use of energy, and his work led him to outline a new…
This paper was written by Elijah Thimsen and published in 2024. It is based on research he did on data from the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instruments in order to determine how the rate of sunlight absorbed by the earth and the rate of global entropy production have evolved…
Read More “Planetary Energy Flow and Entropy Production Rate by Earth from 2002 to 2023” »
This paper was written by Timothy M. Lenton (pictured), Peter-Paul Pichler, and Helga Weiz and published in 2016. The abstract states: “Major revolutions in energy capture have occurred in both Earth and human history, with each transition resulting in higher energy input, altered material cycles and major consequences for the internal organization of the respective…
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This paper was written by Nancy L. Harris, Charles A. S. Hall, and Ariel E. Lugo and published in 2013. The abstract states: “The maximum power principle predicts that maximum transformation of available energy into useful work occurs when a system operates at an intermediate rate and efficiency. This relation is apparent in everyday situations…
This paper was written by T. T. Cai, C. L. Montague, and J. S. Davis and published in 2006. The abstract of the paper states: “The maximum power principle is a potential guide to understanding the patterns and processes of ecosystem development and sustainability. The principle predicts the selective persistence of ecosystem designs that capture a…
Read More “The maximum power principle: An empirical investigation” »
This paper was written by Walter B. Langbein and Luna B. Leopold and published in 1962. It was a geological survey paper written for the United States Department of the Interior. H.T. Odum wrote that Leopold and Langbein describe how the steepness and meander of streams develop in ways that help “maximize the power of…