Subject: [permaculture] Emelia Hazelip Quote re entropy
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 17:29:27 +0000 (UTC)
Though I've appreciated the stories about Emelia Hazelip, I have not seen
much response to the initial quote regarding entropy. I've seen
connections, but no one has addressed it specifically.
I say:
Thermodynamic Law 1 (in closed system, entropy always increases) doesn't
hold for living systems because they aren't closed -- they are open to
solar radiation (ie photosynthetic cells) or other energy source inputs
(consuming plant tissue for instance).
There is a colloquial usage of "entropy" to mean "a bloody mess" that
perhaps Emelia was using in her quote... as in, a non-equilibrium system
that could undermine the conditions for human life. But if life continues
without humans, the biosphere will not be "entropic" in the strict sense
mentioned above.