“The Second Law defines the ultimate purpose of life, mind, and human striving: to deploy energy and information to fight back the tide of entropy and carve out refuges of beneficial order. An underappreciation of the inherent tendency toward disorder, and a failure to appreciate the precious niches of order we carve out, are a major source of human folly.” – Steven Pinker

In life, as any adult can attest, there is never a shortage of problems. Men spend the majority of their adult lives solving them. Some of these problems are created by humans. However, many of the problems we face occur all on their own. They occur due to the forces that we will discuss in this article. Those forces are disorder and entropy. Humanity has been struggling against these forces for hundreds of thousands of years in order to survive and multiply.

Entropy

“Entropy is the ultimate boss battle” – Elon Musk

Entropy is a scientific concept that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The concept is utilized across multiple different scientific fields. To better understand the concept, we will take a look at how three fields apply it. Thermodynamics, Information Theory, and Biology.

Thermodynamics

Disclaimer, I am not a physicist and will be explaining things in a way that may upset physicists.

In thermodynamics, entropy is a measure of the amount of thermal energy in a system that is not available to do work. It quantifies the degree of disorder or randomness in a system. The second law of thermodynamics states that in an isolated system, entropy tends to increase over time, leading to a more disordered state.

Evolution of Systems and Thermal Equilibrium

As systems evolve, they tend to move towards a state of maximum entropy, representing thermal equilibrium. In this state of maximum entropy, energy is evenly distributed across the entire system. There are no gradients or clusters. This thermal equilibrium state corresponds to the largest number of possible micro-states. It is the most probable configuration that the system can adopt. It is also the state with the highest entropy or randomness.

Systems often start in low probability macro-states that are more ordered. Over time, due to the second law of thermodynamics, systems head towards thermal equilibrium. Again, this final state has maximum entropy and disorder.

Irreversibility of Entropy

Entropy is often associated with the irreversibility of natural processes. Once a system reaches maximum entropy, it will not just spontaneously return to a state of lower entropy without external intervention. In other words, to return the system to a more ordered state, there must be an application of energy from outside the system.

Closed systems are fundamentally destined for maximum entropy. Open systems can fend off entropy by utilizing energy from outside the system.

Information Theory

Introduced by Claude Shannon in his 1948 paper “A Mathematical Theory of Communication,” entropy was described as a measure of the average uncertainty in a random variable. This paper was the genesis of information theory.

In information theory, higher entropy means more uncertainty and greater information content per symbol. Lower entropy indicates less uncertainty and less information content. If all outcomes are equally likely, entropy is maximized. If one outcome is certain, entropy is zero, as there is no uncertainty.

Applications for Communication

In communication, entropy measures the efficiency of information transmission. It helps design optimal encoding schemes that maximize how much data can be successfully transmitted from one point to another in a given amount of time while minimizing errors.

In other words, information theory and the concept of entropy are used to achieve a greater rate of data transfer with minimized corruption of the data. This has extremely important uses in the modern world when it comes to digital communication. It also has extremely important applications for artificial intelligence and cryptography.

Information theory shows that information itself is prone to disorder and randomness. We will revisit this idea later in the article.

Biology (Cell Entropy)

Entropy can be applied even in a biological context. In biology, it is a measure of disorder and randomness within biological systems.

Cellular Metabolism

Metabolic processes involve the transformation of energy and matter, governed by the laws of thermodynamics. During these transformations, entropy within the cell tends to increase, reflecting the dispersal of energy and increase in molecular disorder.

Using Energy to Slow and Repair

Cells use energy from sources like ATP (the body’s energy currency) to drive processes that decrease local entropy, maintaining order and function. Cells have repair mechanisms to fix damaged DNA, proteins, and other cellular components, counteracting the increase in entropy.

In summary, entropy is a major factor at the cellular level and living organisms have evolved mechanisms to combat it. Now that we’ve deepened our understanding of entropy, we will talk about a more broad term for the randomness that we see all around us.

Disorder

As we saw, even in a scientific context, entropy is all about disorder. However, disorder is a more broad and abstract word than entropy. With the word disorder, we can enter more philosophical and psychological conversations.

In the Oxford dictionary, disorder is defined as:

• An untidy state; a lack of order or organization
• A condition or illness that causes problems with the way part of the body or brain works
• Violent behavior of large groups of people

We are going to primarily focus on the first definition, but I wanted to include the second two to paint a better picture of the word. Disorder naturally has a negative connotation. This is because as living beings, disorder presents problems for us. In fact, too much disorder can kill us.

Difference Between Disorder and Chaos

I think it’s important to note that disorder is not the complete opposite of order. Disorder is a lack of order, which means it can simply be a state of not having enough order. Chaos is the true opposite of order as it is a complete lack of order.

Disordered systems do not provoke the same state from humans that chaotic systems provoke. When humans are faced with disordered systems, we often work to fix them with a mild to medium amount of discomfort. When we face chaotic systems, we may enter a state of fear and confusion. We have more of a tolerance for disorder than we have for chaos.

Disorder as the Norm

When we delved into entropy, we discovered that there is a tendency for natural and scientific systems to enter increasing states of entropy over time. This tendency towards disorder applies to many, if not all of the other observable systems across our reality. Whether it be the planets or manmade systems such as civilizations and governments, all systems are vulnerable to the force of entropy.

Use It or Lose It

The natural tendency of systems towards disorder and entropy is the reason for the concept of “use it or lose it”. People use this term in the context of physical fitness and cognitive ability. It really applies to any system. If no energy is deployed to grow or maintain a system, the entropy of the system will increase, leading to the eventual death of the system. This is why you have to be smart with how you deploy your energy. Every time you deploy energy towards something, you’re either decreasing or increasing the entropy of that particular system. You’re doing this at the expense of other systems that you could dedicate energy towards.

Emotional Reactions

It has been posited by the psychological community that humans have a negative emotional reaction to disorder and a positive reaction to order. This makes perfect sense biologically and evolutionarily. Survival and reproductive success are more likely in ordered environments than disordered environments. Positive emotions are associated with outcomes that lead to survival and reproductive success.

Higher level areas of the brain are capable of producing more abstract frameworks for viewing order and disorder in the world around us. Meaning, different people can have different conceptions of what order and disorder look like. This is why people can have such different emotional responses to the same situation. However, we all possess somewhat fixed biological mechanisms that tilt us towards considering certain stimuli disorderly.

The reason why negative emotions are prompted when we approach a disordered system is because the negative emotions prompt us to take action. That action could be deploying energy to slow the increase in disorder of the system. It could be deciding to do away with the system entirely by destroying it and speeding up its increase in disorder. Regardless of what we decide to do, the negative emotion prompts a response, because negative emotions are very difficult to ignore.

Struggle

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.” – Seneca

“What is the characteristic feature of life? When is a piece of matter said to be alive? When it goes on ‘doing something,’ moving, exchanging material with its environment, and so forth, indefinitely. As a matter of fact, we cannot define life scientifically. We can only say that it is that which resists disintegration towards the uniformity of equilibrium and thus keeps the entropy low.” – Erwin Schrödinger

Lexicology and Philosophy of Struggle

In the Oxford Dictionary, struggle is defined as:

• A hard fight in which people try to obtain or achieve something, especially something that somebody else does not want them to have
• Something that is difficult for you to do or achieve

As a verb, it is:

• To try very hard to do something when it is difficult or when there are a lot of problems

Something that is difficult requires effort, because things that are difficult are often full of problems that need to be overcome. We struggle on a daily basis. We are designed to struggle against all of the forces that are prohibiting our survival and growth. It has even been suggested by many philosophers that the purpose of life is to struggle.

Some of the primary forces that we are always struggling against are disorder and entropy. Through this struggle, we have developed many tools that allow us to fight against local entropy. Biological lifeforms are the result of millions of years of struggle against entropy. We will talk about why struggle is so essential to the battle against entropy and look at struggle through several different lenses.

History

Throughout history we see examples of struggle molding individuals and making them great. The more struggle the individuals endure, the stronger they become, given that they are able to survive. They become more capable of combating entropy and better at utilizing energy to create niches of beneficial order (borrowing words from Steven Pinker).

The Greatest Generation

The term “Greatest Generation” refers to the cohort of individuals who came of age during the Great Depression, fought in World War II, and subsequently contributed to the post-war boom and transformation of the United States. As we’ll see, this generation faced struggle after struggle.

The Great Depression

The greatest generation experienced the great depression during their formative years. The struggles of this era instilled values of frugality, hard work, and perseverance. Families had to be resourceful to survive, fostering a strong sense of community and mutual support.

World War II

The greatest generation also lived through World War II. The war demanded immense personal sacrifice, courage, and a sense of duty. These experiences forged strong bonds among soldiers and a deep sense of responsibility toward their country. On the home front, millions of men and women worked in factories, producing the vast quantities of munitions and supplies needed for the war effort. This war further strengthened the generation.

Post-War Boom

After the war, the greatest generation contributed to massive growth in the United States economy and population. The hardships faced during the Great Depression and World War II fostered resilience, a strong work ethic, and a sense of collective purpose. These experiences molded individuals who were capable of great leadership and innovation.

All of the struggles against chaos and war that this generation faced molded them into “The Greatest Generation”. They became more powerful and more capable of generating growth and order. They forged the United States into the new world power.

Decadent Generations

Just as generations can become great through struggle, generations can become decadent through prolonged periods of prosperity.

This happened in the generation of decadence within the Roman Empire, often pinpointed to the period of the late Republic and early Empire (roughly 1st century BC to 3rd century AD). The period saw a departure from the austere and disciplined values of the early Republic. The virtues of duty, simplicity, and public service gave way to hedonism and personal indulgence.

Political corruption became rampant, with public offices often being bought and sold. Senators and officials were more interested in personal gain than in serving the state. The Roman elite indulged in lavish lifestyles, marked by opulent banquets, exotic foods, and grand villas. This culture of excess was often funded by the exploitation of provinces and heavy taxation.

All of this cultural decadence contributed to the eventual fall of the Roman Empire. When a generation doesn’t experience struggle, it doesn’t develop the ability to create order and prosperity. It’s muscles for fighting disorder atrophy and the system spirals into chaos.

Neuroscience

The human brain is remarkably good at combating entropy, maintaining order, and facilitating complex functions through a variety of neural mechanisms.

Just like any other system, it must struggle against entropy to survive and grow. It is a use it or lose it system. All of us inherently understand this. When you learn how to do something, your brain rewires neurons and creates structures for performing that particular skill. If you stop engaging in that skill, the brain structures dedicated to it will weaken. This is why when you come back to a skill after a long period of inactivity, you will notice that your performance has weakened.

Brain structures require constant energy to uphold. This is why we need to consume food to fuel our brains. Our brains consume large amounts of energy in their fight for maintaining and creating new neural structures.

Aging and Capability

As we age, we become more capable of deploying energy to combat disorder. This capability comes through the process of years of struggle. As any adult can attest, life becomes more problem filled as you age. As a kid, you are protected and shielded from the forces of entropy by your parents. They deploy their energy to protect you and help you grow. Children cannot shield themselves from all of the disorder of the world all by themselves. As you age, you go through various struggles as you learn how to deploy your own energy to combat disorder. You struggle to walk, to talk, and to navigate the complex world we exist within. You go through struggles to learn how to take care of things and shield them from entropy. You are learning how to keep things in order.

Eventually, you almost entirely stop receiving energy from your parents. This does not happen until you have gone through sufficient struggle. Without struggle, your body and mind would never become capable of combatting entropy on its own. Subsequently, once you become sufficiently good enough at combatting entropy, you have kids. Then, the cycle repeats. You shield them from disorder and entropy until they are capable of shielding themselves.

Struggles of Cultures and Societies

Groups, systems, and societies collectively work together to combat the entropy of the systems that they are designed to uphold. These systems can be beliefs, ideas, laws, rules, etc. Every society and culture has a set of systems that it strives to uphold. If the society stops deploying energy to uphold these systems, the systems will crumble under the force of entropy. This has happened many times throughout history as systems within societies have collapsed from within.

Like any system, societal systems feel a pull towards increased entropy. This is why every society of old has either disappeared or drastically changed in form. It’s extremely difficult to uphold the exact ideas, laws, and rules that the society started with for any prolonged period of time. Some societies last much longer than others but it seems that all societies experience a growth period and then an eventual death.

Some of the reasons why these ideas and belief systems can’t be upheld for long periods of time may be explained by information theory. In order to uphold ideas and belief systems, the information must be transmitted to future generations by adults. However, information is prone to entropy. Each time the information is transmitted to future generations, there are errors in transference. Eventually, the information ends up looking very different from when it started being passed on. This contributes to the death of the beliefs and ideas.

Evolutionary Struggle

Biological life has undergone a long process of constant struggle against the forces of entropy. Life has evolved all sorts of mechanisms for combatting entropy at the local level. DNA is highly resistant to the forces of entropy. It is the most protected piece of information that we carry around as living beings. The body and mind are designed to protect this information and pass it on at all costs.

DNA is so resistant to the forces of entropy because it arose billions of years ago. Therefore, DNA has been struggling against the forces of entropy for billions of years. As we discussed earlier, struggling against entropy makes you stronger if you are able to survive and expand. The amount of DNA on Earth has been increasing over time. It has become more resilient to entropy and large contingents of humanity are working towards ensuring its indefinite survival.

Struggle Against the Energy Problem

The final struggle we will discuss is the struggle against the energy problem. Energy is the stuff that we need to combat disorder and entropy. Without sufficient energy, we crumble to those forces. The most basic example of this is if you don’t eat food you will die fairly quickly. Our bodies need a constant supply of energy in order to continue combatting entropy and engaging with problems in the world around us. Societies collectively develop ways of harvesting energy that they can use to uphold societal structures and ensure the survival of individuals within the society. The total population of humanity has only grown by people finding better ways to obtain usable forms of energy. Harnessing enough energy has been a problem that humans have been struggling with for a long time. We’ve made significant progress in our energy acquisition capabilities, and we are constantly innovating on this front.

Luckily, there are extremely abundant sources of energy all throughout the universe. All that is required to obtain them is new technologies and innovations that allow us to harness them. Entropy is a powerful force, but we’ve been winning the uphill battle against it for hundreds of thousands of years.

I hope this article deeply broadened your understanding of Entropy, Disorder, and Struggle. These are some of the most important concepts that humans have generated throughout all of human history.