Engines of Entropy?

[erick]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what function life serves in the context of the Universe at large. Creationists often cite the evolution of life to more and more complex life-forms as a fundamental flaw in science’s understanding of our Universe. Their rationale for this argument is that the evolution of life violates the second law of thermo-dynamics having to do with the creation of entropy within a closed system. In other words: to them, life ought to evolve to become less and less complex and more and more disorganized. Instead we see the exact opposite occurring. But why is this?

After thinking long and hard about it for awhile it occurred to me: the second law of thermo-dynamics only applies to the ever-increasing randomness of energy not of the systems themselves. In fact, the more complex a system is, the less efficient it is, thereby creating more entropy. This led me to the revelation that the evolution of life itself leads to an increase in the rate at which entropy occurs. For example: you eating an apple disperses that energy much more quickly than if the apple was left to simply rot on the ground. The energy contained therein gains entropy as it makes its way through your body and leaves as either you interacting with your surroundings or as heat.

That got me thinking even more. Think about the evolution of the human race and its technology and industry. Machinery, computers, cars, planes, all of it creates entropy even faster than “natural life� itself could ever do. Then there is of course our ultimate man made engine of entropy capable of dispersing all of the energy contained within the entire planet within a matter of moments: the hundreds of thousands of nuclear bombs in the World.

So then my question is this: Is the human race with all of its technology, industry, pollution, urban sprawl, habitat destruction, etc. just fulfilling some sort of pre-ordained prophecy? Are all of these things that we do that we look at as being un-natural really natural in the context of the Universe as a whole? Is life itself and humanity by extension simply engines of entropy?

[ovyyus]

I doubt there is currently a definitive answer to your question Erick. When creationists say they know, they are guessing. When scientists say they know, they aren't doing science.

If an entropy engine consumes time, what does an ectropy engine consume?

[erick]

Entropy doesn't consume time. It doesn't "consume" anything. It is the product of the consumption of energy.

[ovyyus]

I didn't ask if entropy consumes time, rather the engine (of life).

...This led me to the revelation that the evolution of life itself leads to an increase in the rate at which entropy occurs...