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 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 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 paper was written by H. T. Odum and published in 1995. In it he discusses his maximum empower principle and, among many other things, he mentions how Martinez-Alier (1987) discusses how a number of writers in the mid-19th century were working on similar ideas, and he describes the relation between the maximum power principle…
This paper was written by H. T. Odum and published in 1983. It replies to a paper written by William Silvert in 1981 that criticized Odum and Pinkerton’s 1955 paper. Odum in this paper clarifies that “The Atwood’s machine was not the basis for our general derivation but was a special case used as an…
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…
This book was written by H. T. Odum and Elisabeth C. Odum and published in 1976. The first paragraph of the Introduction states: “Everything is based on energy. Energy is the source and control of all things, all values, and all the actions of human beings and nature. This simple truth, long known to scientists…