Evolution And Entropy: Can They Coexist?

The theory of evolution and the laws of thermodynamics have long been at the heart of the evolution-creation debate. The second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy increases, or disorder increases or stays the same over time, is often cited as contradicting the theory of evolution, which claims that organisms become more ordered over time. However, this criticism is based on a misunderstanding of the second law, which only applies to isolated systems without external sources of energy. The Earth is not an isolated system as it receives energy from the sun, allowing for the increase in order and complexity seen in biological evolution. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying genetics and evolution are perfectly in line with physical laws, and the two can be harmonized without contradiction.

The second law of thermodynamics and evolution theory both cannot be correct

Evolution, on the other hand, posits that current species developed from earlier life forms that were simpler and had fewer capabilities and less complex systems. Therefore, evolutionary theory claims that organisms get better ordered over time, which appears to contradict the second law of thermodynamics.

However, this objection is grounded in a misunderstanding of the second law and its applicability. The second law applies only to isolated systems that are thermally isolated and not in equilibrium. The Earth is not an isolated system as it receives continual energy from the Sun, which means an increase in order can occur. Furthermore, living organisms are not unified wholes but a collection of subsystems, and the development of life involves the emergence of order from disorder, which does not violate the second law.

Scientists need to develop clear explanations and metaphors to counter anti-evolutionist arguments and demonstrate the flaws in their reasoning.

The second law of thermodynamics is misunderstood

The second law of thermodynamics is often misunderstood to be in contradiction with evolutionary theory. This is based on the understanding that disorder always increases over time. This interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics is flawed and oversimplified.

The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy increases in isolated systems, meaning that the likelihood of finding a system in its original or any given state tends to approach the likelihood of finding it in any other state. This is often interpreted as a move towards disorder, but this is not always the case. Entropy can be understood as a measure of the amount of disorder or the number of possible arrangements of a system, and a system can become more ordered as long as there is a decrease in entropy somewhere else to compensate.

The Earth is not an isolated system as it receives a continuous input of energy from the Sun. Therefore, the second law of thermodynamics does not apply to the Earth in the same way as it does to isolated systems. The increase in order and complexity of species over time through evolution does not violate the second law of thermodynamics. The development of life on Earth can be understood as a local increase in order that is compensated by a greater increase in entropy in the rest of the universe.

Furthermore, the second law of thermodynamics does not apply to living creatures in the same way as it does to inanimate objects. Living organisms are highly ordered systems, but they are also open systems that continually exchange both energy and matter with their surroundings. The subsystems within a living organism, such as cells, can also evolve and increase in complexity without violating the second law of thermodynamics.

The misunderstanding of the second law of thermodynamics and its applicability to evolutionary theory is a common argument used by anti-evolutionists, including creationists, to discredit the theory of evolution. However, this objection is based on a flawed understanding of both thermodynamics and evolution. Scientists and educators need to develop clear explanations and tools to communicate the complexities of these theories to non-experts and address the misconceptions surrounding the relationship between evolution and the second law of thermodynamics.

The second law of thermodynamics does not apply to the Earth

The second law of thermodynamics is often invoked in the evolution/creation debate. This is because the second law of thermodynamics states that entropy increases over time, or stays the same, meaning that disorder increases or is maintained. This seems to contradict the theory of evolution, which states that current species have developed over time from earlier, simpler life forms, and that organisms get better ordered over time.

However, this objection to evolution is based on a misunderstanding of the second law of thermodynamics and its applicability to the Earth. The second law of thermodynamics applies only to closed systems, which are systems that do not exchange energy with their surroundings. The Earth is not a closed system, as it receives continual energy from the Sun. Therefore, the second law of thermodynamics does not apply to the Earth.

The Earth can be considered an open system, which exchanges both matter and energy with its surroundings. Living things are also open systems, as they continually exchange both energy and matter with their surroundings. This means that they are not isolated systems, and so the second law of thermodynamics does not apply to them.

Furthermore, the second law of thermodynamics does not say that disorder necessarily increases in isolated systems that are not in equilibrium. Rather, it states that the likelihood of finding a system in its original or any given state tends to approach the likelihood of finding it in any other state. This means that the anti-evolutionist argument that the second law of thermodynamics requires increasing disorder is a misunderstanding.

In conclusion, the second law of thermodynamics does not apply to the Earth, as the Earth is not a closed system. The theory of evolution is therefore not contradicted by the second law of thermodynamics, and the two can be harmonized.

The second law of thermodynamics and evolution are compatible

The second law of thermodynamics applies only to isolated systems, which are systems that are thermally isolated and not in equilibrium. In other words, no energy is being added or subtracted. The Earth is not an isolated system as it receives continual energy from the Sun. Therefore, the second law does not apply to the Earth and there is room for increasing order and complexity over time. This increase in order and complexity in biological evolution does not violate the second law of thermodynamics.

Evolutionists have offered various theories to explain how biological evolution does not violate the second law of thermodynamics. One approach is to note that the second law applies only to isolated systems, as previously mentioned. Living things are open systems, which exchange both matter and energy with their surroundings, or occasionally closed systems, but are not isolated systems. Therefore, living organisms can increase in order without violating the second law.

Furthermore, the second law of thermodynamics does not say that disorder necessarily increases in isolated systems. Rather, it says that the likelihood of finding a system in its original or any given state tends to approach the likelihood of finding it in any other state. This means that the anti-evolutionist argument that the second law requires increasing disorder is a misunderstanding.

The mechanisms underlying genetics and evolution are also perfectly in line with physical law. For example, the development of life involved a major leap when cells mutated in such a way that they clumped together, allowing for multicellular life. However, this increase in order does not violate the second law of thermodynamics any more than superglue violates the law when it sticks your fingers together.

Evolution does not violate the first law of thermodynamics

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. In other words, it expresses the principle of the conservation of energy. This means that while the total amount of energy is conserved, energy can be transferred and converted into different forms.

The first law of thermodynamics is not contradicted by evolution. In fact, the evolution of species can be seen as a direct result of this law. As energy is transferred and converted, it becomes less useful, a concept quantified by physicists as entropy. Entropy is defined by energy divided by temperature, expressed on an absolute scale. As such, evolution can be seen as a process that optimises the utility of energy through natural selection.

Evolutionary theory contends that current species developed from earlier life forms, which had fewer capabilities and less complex systems. Over time, evolutionary theory claims that organisms became more ordered. This increase in order and complexity of species, or decrease in entropy, has been interpreted by critics as a violation of the second law of thermodynamics. However, this criticism is based on a misunderstanding of the second law, which states that any isolated system will increase its total entropy over time. An isolated system is defined as one without any external energy input.

The Earth is not an isolated system as it receives continual energy input from the Sun. Therefore, an increase in order can occur on Earth, including the evolution of complex molecules and organisms. Thus, evolution does not violate the first law of thermodynamics.

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