[peirce-l] Re: peirce-l digest: April 18, 2006

[Jerry LR Chandler]

Dear Gary / Kristi: On Apr 19, 2006, at 1:05 AM, Peirce Discussion Forum digest wrote: Dear Gary, I was quite delighted in reading what you wrote: The second law, as i understand it, says that any actual use of energy degrades it, i.e. reduces its quality or usefulness. In the jargon of thermodynamics, any reduction of an energy gradient produces entropy. This means that in a given isolated system, any process of energy exchange among its subsystems results in a less orderly state of the whole system.  I find this paragraph fragment to be highly controversial. Why? How does it relate to life? For example, sunlight is the source of energy for plant growth. The chemical process is called photo synthesis. During photosynthesis, photons are absorbed as the source of motion for splitting water into hydrogen ( special form of ) and the metabolic chain creates carbohydrates from carbo (n dioxide) and water (hydrate.) If one considers the food web of ecologies and the role plants play in fueling the food chain (including us), one can ponder the logical consequences of such casual beliefs. In my personal opinion, such narratives are only used by individuals with a very very limited knowledge of life (and the chemical sciences) itself. Cheers Jerry Jerry LR Chandler Research Professor Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study George Mason University --- Message from peirce-l forum to subscriber archive@mail-archive.com