Thermodynamics and Recession – Fate of Civilization

[via Professor Wally’s Philosophy Course Server]

1) The first law of thermodynamics states that matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. This implies that everything that is, everything that ever was, and everything that will ever be, was present at the birth of the universe albeit in a more elementary form
2) The second law of thermodynamics states that a closed system without the introduction of additional energy from outside will move toward greater entropy, defined as a measure of disorder. This implies that whatever exists will disintegrate (even universe)

So a system far from equilibrium will move towards greater complexity and disorder when unchecked. Cue, the stock market, internet landscape, real-estate market, bank systems and the like. Who knew that the rather patronizing laws of thermodynamics (is there proof?) will be able to explain the systemic corrections introduced into these systems by externalities – popularly known as recessions, crisis, meltdown, crashes, bubbles, collapse, depressions et al.
Of course, the energy/matter dichotomy in this context would be money/schemes (which are virtual ponzi constructs) and the jolt being ‘regulation’ (which is opposed in a free market economy). Ergo, free market economies of the de-regulated kind are doomed to failure every once in a while. It is just in their nature to have a periodic armageddon. This is not a conspiracy nor intrinsically bad because the pieces are picked, lessons are learned, history is repeated and the cycle starts all over again – but with each iteration, the complexity increases leading to, hopefully, better efficiencies and practices. Am not a commie loving son of a gun.

Ooh! That is optimistic which has to counter-balanced with a ‘sky is falling’ shriek. You have been warned. The same laws of thermodynamics applies equally at a planetary scale. Take for example, a little blue marble called earth. The dinosaurs ruled this planet and it was getting out of hand. Everything was just getting bigger and uglier (no respect to Barney) when a correction in the form of an asteroid collision reset the entropy leading to the rise of mammals and then to humans now ruling the planet (or so we think for we have visions of grandeur, heck we made that up). Thermodynamics it seems is not without a sense of irony.
Our very progress, is now the cause of global warming and climate change which threatens our very survival. We are now at a rather high state of disorder and unless the correction comes in some form or another. Whether it comes through the wrath of omnipresent powerful invisible guy from above (God according to George Carlin) like a flood (which incidentally figures in every mythology from Hinduism to Mayan to Christian), or massive human-designed geo-engineering projects (or nuclear war or global consciousness) or just wait for the inevitable (2012, Kalki, asteroid) is a choice we have to make for ourselves. Personally my money (pun) is on the nuclear war. But an asteroid hit would be cool too. Atleast with the latter, the earth has experience and can recover quicker than before. Global consciousness (apologies to the green and activist brigade) is a dead horse. No point flogging it at all.

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