The Science and Philosophy of the "Thermodynamic School" of Evolution
This paper was written by Roderick Dewar and published in 2005. In this paper and another he published two years earlier (2003), Dewar provides a theoretical basis for the maximum entropy production principle and derives a provisional proof of it for non-equilibrium, steady-state systems, both biotic and abiotic. The abstract of this article states: “Recently…
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This paper was written by Roderick Dewar and published in 2003. In this paper and another published two years later (2005), Dewar provides a theoretical basis for the maximum entropy production principle and derives a provisional proof of it for non-equilibrium, steady-state systems, both biotic and abiotic. The abstract for this paper states: “Jaynes’ information…
This paper was written by Rod Swenson and published in 1989. It is one of the first papers to use the maximum entropy production principle to describe the Swenson, R. 1989. Emergent attractors and the law of maximum entropy production: foundations to a theory of general evolution. Systems Research 6: 187-197.
This paper was written by R. E. Ulanowicz (pictured) and M. Hannon and published in 1987. It is one of the first papers that used the maximum entropy production principle to describe the development of natural systems. Ulanowicz, R. E. & Hannon, M. 1987. Life and the production of entropy. Proclamations of the Royal Society…
This essay was written by Charles A. S. Hall and published in 2004. Hall worked with H. T. Odum as a graduate student and wrote this article just after Odum passed away in 2002. Hall, C.A.S. 2004. The continuing importance of maximum power. Ecological Modeling 178: 107-113.
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…