Catherine Woodgold  wrote or quoted:
> Guy Hoelzer (hoelzer{at}unr.edu) writes:

> > The proposition that the rate of
> > entropy gain in the universe is maximized by all processes and dissipative
> > systems can only be refuted by an instance that is either negentropic or
> > neutrally entropic at the level of the whole universe. 
> 
> Could you explain more precisely what you mean by maximizing
> the rate of entropy gain?   Are you making a claim about the
> world, or merely defining terms?
> 
> Some actions lead to a small gain in entropy;  others
> to a large gain in entropy.  Choosing the small gain is
> not what I would call "maximizing".  What do you mean
> by "maximizing"?  (Do you just mean "continually increasing,
> whether slowly or quickly"?  You should make this clear.
> "Maximizing" sounds like it means "increasing as fast
> as possible.")
> 
> If you mean "maximizing, under the constraint of
> following all the other physical laws" -- is that really
> any different from just plain "following all the other
> physical laws"?  What exactly is your claim?

There are several claims in this area:

One is that introducing new living systems into an area
usually increases the rate of dissipation of entropy.

As a very brief synopsis of this idea: life burns bright.

Another is that the rate of dissipation of entropy
increases as evolution progresses (other things
being equal) - i.e. that evolution is progressive
in this respect - as a result of cumulative
acquisition of technology for dissipating
energy gradients while creating copies of genes.

Check the references in my essay:

  http://originoflife.net/bright_light/

....for information about what has been claimed historically in this area.

The best-known paper is probably reference 1:

Schneider, E.D, Kay, J.J., 1994, "Life as a Manifestation of the Second 
Law of Thermodynamics", Mathematical and Computer Modelling, Vol 19, No. 
6-8, pp.25-48.

 - http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/u/jjkay/pubs/Life_as/text.html
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