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Re: Ecological Economics and Entropy
I state:
I'd like to recommend that, before this 'I understand entropy and you
don't' argument goes too far, everyone take a deep breath, pretend
you don't know anything, and pick up and read Yourgrau, van der Merwe,
and Raw's book 'Treatise on Irreversible and Statistical
Thermophysics'. They discuss the various formulations of entropy,
although not all in the same place, and they talk a lot so you can
skip the mathematics if you want and still get something out of it.
If you want to absorb the math, it is incisive yet clear because of
the quality of presentation. Then you can take up this thread again
and at least have a common set of definitions to work with.
Jay Hanson wrote:
>
> Harold Brashears wrote:
>
> > I read what you had posted, and this confirmed my belief that you do
> > not understand entropy. Entropy is a condition or state of a system,
> > which can be used as measure of the disorder.
> >
> > In a closed system, entropy can never decrease, but, the earth is not
> > a closed system. I am sorry you do not understand this, but in
> > practice, it means it cannot be applied blindly to a system, like the
> > earth, which is constantly receiving energy from the outside (the
> > sun).
>
> If you would read what I posted, you would understand what I am
> talking about.
>
> > >------------
> > >All matter and energy in the universe are subject to
> > >the Laws of Thermodynamics. In the discipline of Ecological
> > >Economics, systems are delimited so that they are meaningful
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> The world doesn't come with dotted lines Harold. <G>
> We draw them! For example, the entropy of a dinner
> plate system increases when the dinner plate breaks.
>
> Get it?
>
> Jay
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