The Science and Philosophy of the "Thermodynamic School" of Evolution
This book was edited by Charles A. S. Hall and published in 1995. It is a synthesis of the creative genius of Howard Thomas Odum as seen through his own words and those of his students, many of whom are now applying his ideas to the world in diverse ways. Offering the holistic, system-oriented thinking…
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This book was written by Timothy McWhirter and published in 2025. It examines the relation between the maximum power principle developed by Alfred Lotka and H. T. Odum and the concept of the will to power developed by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It discusses the work of the scientists and philosophers that influenced the…
This book was written by H. T. Odum and Elisabeth C. Odum and published in 2001. In it they argue that when societies pass the peek of their ability to use fossil fuels, there will be evolutionary selection for societies that develop more efficient ways of living. They describe how this transition can be handled…
This paper was written by H. T. Odum, W. E. Odum, E. P. Odum and published in 1995. Odum, W. E., Odum, E. P., Odum, H. T. 1995. Nature’s Pulsing Paradigm. Estuaries and Coasts 18: 547-555.
This book was written by H. T. Odum and published in 1983. It provides a comprehensive introduction to Odum’s unique view of systems ecology. He provides a definition of the maximum power principle developed by Lotka: “systems prevail that develop designs that maximize the flow of useful energy” (p. 6). He describes how there is…
This paper was written by H. T. Odum and published in 1982. It describes the relation between the maximum power principle and pulsing paradigm, and, among other things, explains how the maximum power principle is consistent with the minimum entropy production principle developed by Prigogine and Wiame. Their principle applies to systems near equilibrium where…
This paper was written by H. T. Odum and John Regnald Richardson and published in 1981. Odum, H. T., Richardson, J. R. 1981. “Power and a Pulsing Production Model.” In W. J. Mitsch, R. W. Bosserman, and J. M. Klopatek (eds), Energy and Ecological Modelling: Developments in Environmental Modeling 1. New York, NY: Elsevier Scientific…