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…
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This paper was written by James H. Brown, Chen Hou, Charles A. S. Hall, and Joseph R. Burger and published in 2024. In this paper, the authors describe a new paradigm in evolutionary studies: the Equal Fitness Paradigm, which “quantifies how organisms convert biomass into surviving offspring.” The abstract of the paper states: “Evolutionary biology…
Read More “Life, Death and Energy: What Does Nature Select?” »
This book was written by Charles A. S. Hall (pictured), Cutler J. Cleveland, and Robert Kaufmann and published in 1986. It integrates and synthesizes concepts pertaining to energy and resource quality, originally derived in the natural and physical sciences, and applies them to human economic systems. It examines how energy is used to transform natural…
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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 book was written by Charles Hall and published in 2017. It provides a comprehensive explanation of the concept of energy return on investment and its relation to biology, economics, and sustainability, as well as a discussion of the maximum power principle. It uses these principles to provide recommendations for how societies can best deal…
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 Hossein Farajollahi, A. Salehi, and F. Tayebi and published in 2011. The abstract states: “In this paper, we investigate the validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics in flat Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker chameleon cosmology where the boundary of the universe is assumed to be enclosed by the dynamical apparent horizon. It…
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This paper was written by Alfio Bonanno and Martin Reuter and published in 2011. The abstract states: “The Asymptotic Safety scenario predicts that the deep ultraviolet of Quantum Einstein Gravity is governed by a nontrivial renormalization group fixed point. Analyzing its implications for cosmology using renormalization group improved Einstein equations, we find that it can…
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This paper was written by Hiroshi Serizawa, Takashi Amemiya, and Kiminori Itoh and published in 2011. It appears to be the first effort to use the principle of maximum entropy production in sociology. The abstract states: “Entropy of the system is controlled by two fundamental laws: one is the second law of thermodynamics that is…
Read More “Principle of Maximum Entropy Production –Applicability to social analysis” »