The Interaction of Life and Entropy

A Universal Theory & Perspective

This presentation examines the interplay between life and entropy, and imagines the impact these processes may have on the

expansion and contraction of the universe.

The theory in a nutshell:

“There are two processes at work in the universe: life (evolution) and entropy. Entropy creates dispersed energy,

whereas life (evolution) creates organised energy. The “battle” between these two processes, converting

dispersed energy to organised energy and back again, drive the expansion and contraction of the universe,

thereby creating space and time.”

Order

Chaos

Chaos

Time

Proliferation of life

Dispersed universe

Singularity Entropy

At the current moment, in our universe, entropy is increasing.Concurrently, the presence of life is creating order, and reducing local rates of

entropy.

Once life reaches a critical level of proliferation, it arrives at the “inflection point”, and reverses the direction of entropy.

Order

Chaos

Chaos

Time

Proliferation of life

Dispersed universe

Singularity

Entropy

Singularity

Inflection point

Proliferation of life

This causes the universe to begin contracting.

This cycle repeats into infinity, as follows:singularity > dispersed universe > singularity > dispersed

universe

Order

Chaos

Chaos

Time

Proliferation of life

Dispersed universe

Singularity

Entropy

SingularityProliferation of life

Order

Chaos

Chaos

Time

Proliferation of life

Entropy

Proliferation of life

The inflection points at which the proliferation of life reverses the

direction of entropy

Order

Chaos

Chaos

Time

Proliferation of life

Entropy

Proliferation of life

Order

Chaos

Chaos

Time

Proliferation of life

Entropy

Proliferation of life

Now imagine that it is 3 dimensional

The yin yang, made 3D, has 64 “inner cubes”.

Order

Chaos

Chaos

Time

Proliferation of life

Entropy

Proliferation of life

The inflection points at which the proliferation of life reverses the

direction of entropy

Life zone

Life times

Space between lives

Perhaps life (as we know it) can only exist during certain timespans when the rate of entropy change is not too steep, and

outside of these times the conditions in the universe are not amenable to life…

What does it all mean*???

(*Buggered if I know – possibly nothing, but it’s quite neat, don’t you think?)

Please see following slides for an attempt to explain the previous slides…

• I am fascinated by the question of whether life has some universal purpose, along with evolution - the theory being that more evolved life should be better at realising that purpose than less evolved life.

• My idea is that evolution creates beings that are more adept at transforming energy – and that our universal purpose relates to transforming energy in whatever direction the universe is moving. So the purpose of life then becomes to grow one’s own ability to transform energy, and then help others become more adept at this too. Part of the role of evolved life, then, is to facilitate the proliferation of life throughout the universe.

• This is one of several areas where I think the capitalist model has it all wrong. It is a destructive rather than a creative force, ruled by greed and selfishness. All religious and philosophical wisdom tells us that greed and selfishness are wrong.

• I think that everything is energy, and that our physical world is energy manifested as matter. Some of that matter is organic and some is inorganic.

• Energy disperses. This means that over time, all the energy in the universe is getting more disorganized. This is called entropy.

• The 2nd law of thermodynamics says that once something becomes disorganized, it won't reorganize itself unless it gets fuel from outside the system it is in. Because we view the universe as the ultimate closed system, the universal energy is destined to continue becoming more random into infinity. Randomisation of energy will ultimately lead us to the hypothesised "heat death of the universe".

• Life is an example of declining entropy. This means it creates order from disorder. Evolution too is an example of declining entropy.

• BUT, life can only decrease the local rate of entropy, and it does this by using energy from external sources, mainly the sun. This means that even though the local level of entropy is lower due to the presence of life, the overall entropy of the universe is still increasing. It seems life's main instinct is to evolve and proliferate. Why?

• So then I'm taking something of a leap of logic by saying that if life exists, it is more likely to be because it plays some role in the universal system than just by accident. What is the role of life when we throw it in the mix with entropy and space-time?

• It seems to me that it is possible that life (evolution) is the opposing process to entropy, and that over space-time the forces created by them wax and wane, as all things in nature do.

• Which makes life the yin and entropy the yang. They wage their battle, creating space and time as they do so, into infinity.

• Sometimes throughout the journey the ratio of organized energy, or life, or the potential for life, is higher than disorganized energy, or decay. These would be times of flourishing, unfolding, growing and evolving. Other times the ratio of chaos would be higher than organization. These would be times of upheaval, destruction and decay. At all times one or the other force is stronger varying across trillions of situations and trillions of moments, and this is accumulating into the level of chaos or organisation for the universe.

• I'm theorizing that the role of life is to offset energy's tendency to randomize by creating an organizing force within the universe. So the purpose of life is to proliferate to the extent that it starts to become an attracting force in the universe that stops its outward expansion and causes it to begin contracting. I have called this moment the “inflection point” - the hypothetical point at which life becomes such a powerful organising force in the universe that it reverses the direction of universal entropy.

• Now, I don't know how we get past the second law of thermodynamics and proliferate and evolve life to the point that it can reduce universal entropy. Perhaps that's where the magic comes in. But if we view life as having a specific role in an infinite transition of energy to matter and back again, that just makes a lot more sense to me than the idea that life is a random aberration in a universe that is destined to die.

• To conclude, when you put all that together, with a little bit of magic, you get the theory of the interaction between life and entropy. If I was to guess where the magic happens, I'd say it's in our souls. When we do things that organize energy, we get a "soul buzz" that helps us know intuitively that what we did was right. Perhaps as we evolve, especially spiritually, we get more in touch with the universal energy and, somehow, become capable of organizing energy that was previously disorganized without needing an input from outside the system. Perhaps that's because we become completely plugged into the system itself and the system is infinite. So we tap the power of infinity.

• I also think we’re currently moving into a phase where there is a greater ratio of organized energy (life) to disorganized energy (decay). So that means, from here on in, things are going to get better and better. Perhaps we are moving into an era of enlightenment??

• I don't believe in god, and I don't NOT believe in god. I find god in my theory, and I find NO god in my theory. I believe everything is god and nothing. I think the key to understanding god is letting go of all preconceptions. All anthropomorphic inclinations. I see god as energy changing on and on into infinity.

• How did it all start? I don't think it ever did. And I don't think it will ever end. It never "wasn't", it just is.

• To me, this explanation has the power to link everything together. Every religion, every person, every life form.

• I’ve also thought about the idea of “spin” and perhaps this could relate to the amount of space and time created at the different stages of the process. For example, it would take a very long time for life to reach the critical threshold or inflection point where it first overcomes the 2nd law of thermodynamics. After that, the contraction of the universe might happen relatively quickly. This would give the sin curve of entropy a forward lean, which could create spin.

• The theory I have described above tells me that by striving to contribute to the common good of all life, we will fulfil our purpose as humans. This view gives me an organising principle that I can use as the basis of all my decisions - and it shows me how to live in alignment with the universe.