Users' questions

Do humans violate the second law of thermodynamics?

Do humans violate the second law of thermodynamics?

Human organisms are not a closed system and thus the energy input and output of an the organism is not relevant to the second law of thermodynamics directly. No The Second Law of thermodynamics applies in the truest sense to closed systems. Living systems can not be closed systems or they are not living.

Does evolution violate thermodynamics?

TLDR: Evolution does not violate the Second Law of Thermodyamics, because Earth is not a closed system. The entropy of the entire solar system increases over time, but Earth is a small part of that and so there is plenty of room for increasing order over time on our planet, basically because the sun is so damn big.

Does the second law of thermodynamics forbid evolution?

Earth and Life on Earth Are not Isolated Systems The correct statement of the second law of thermodynamics states that “the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time”. And, because of that simple fact, the whole claim that the second law of thermodynamics disproves evolution is simply wrong.

How does evolution violate the second law of thermodynamics?

It speeds the processes of breakdown and decay. Therefore, even with an energy source, evolution still violates the second law. For the earth, though, we have to take into account the change of entropy involved with both the absorption of energy from the sun and the radiation of energy into space.

How does the theory of evolution contradict the laws of Physics?

However, it is based on a flawed understanding of the second law of thermodynamics, and in fact, the theory of evolution does not contradict any known laws of physics. The second law of thermodynamics simply says that the entropy of a closed system will tend to increase with time.

How does the Sun violate the second law of thermodynamics?

But, the argument goes on, the sun’s energy only increases disorder. It speeds the processes of breakdown and decay. Therefore, even with an energy source, evolution still violates the second law.

How does the second law of thermodynamics work?

The second law doesn’t claim that the entropy of any part of a system increases: if it did, ice would never form and vapor would never condense, since both of those processes involve a decrease of entropy. Rather, the second law says that the total entropy of the whole system must increase.