"Tim Tyler"  wrote in message
news:c7eik9$2ibl$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Jim Menegay  wrote or quoted:
>
> > I happened to run across the following interesting
> > article.  It is the first example I have seen of an
> > evolutionary law which is a good analog of the second
> > law of thermodynamics.  Unfortunately, it is not very
> > exciting, but at least it is carried off without
> > handwaving, and it does suggest some other applications.
[snip]
> The whole idea makes me nauseous.  [snip]
>
> Calling definition of entropy in terms of age by the grand title of
> "evolutionary entropy" is about as ridiculous as calling similar
> definitions in terms of weight, height or waist size by that name.
[snip]

There are two competing visions of what a second law analog
in evolutionary theory should look like.

The conservative realist's vision is that the increase in "entropy"
must be an increase in randomness to some kind of maximum
randomness which is achieved at equilibrium.

The radical optimist's vision foresees the arrow of evolutionary
progress being somehow subsumed in an expanded arrow of
entropy increase, including classical entropy as a special case.

Progress in achieving the conservative realist vision is quite likely
to be disappointing (and nauseating) to a radical optimist.
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