Into The Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, And Life

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The what, why and how of life always intrigued human race. Scientists, philosophers and theologians all have tried to answer these questions in their own way. In this interesting book, Eric Schneider and Dorion Sagan explain the basis of life by drawing a parallel between Life and the second law of thermodynamics. This second law refers to energy's inevitable tendency to change from being concentrated in one place to becoming spread out over time. In this scientific tour de force, the authors show how the second law is behind evolution, ecology, economics and even life's origin. Working from the precept that "nature abhors a gradient," Into the Cool details how complex systems emerge, enlarge, and reproduce (a greatly ordered process) in a world tending toward disorder. From hurricanes here to life on other worlds, from human evolution to systems humans have created, this pervasive pull toward equilibrium governs life at its molecular base and at its peak in the elaborate structures of complex living systems. Schneider and Sagan organize their argument in a highly accessible manner, moving from descriptions of the basic physics behind energy flow to the organization of complex systems to the role of energy in life to the final section, which applies their concept of energy flow to politics, economics and even human health. Into the Cool will be of interest to everyone who wonders at the organizing principles of existence, be it humanists or scientist, theologians or philosophers. Charles Darwin shook the world by showing the common ancestry of all life; Into the Cool shows the common roots in energy flow of all complex, organized and naturally functioning systems. The authors demystify thermodynamics and bring out its part in the creation of life, keeping the reader both disturbed and delighted!

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DORION SAGAN is the coauthor of Microcosmos and What Is Life? Called an “unmissable modern master” of science writing by the New Scientist, Sagan has written for the New York Times, Natural History, and Wired, among other publications. Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Trouble at the EPA Part I: THE ENERGETIC 1. The Schrödinger Paradox 2. Simplicity 3. Eyes of Fire: Classical Energy Science 4. The Cosmic Casino: Statistical Mechanics 5. Nature Abhors a Gradient 6. The River Must Flow: Open Systems 7. Too Much, Not Enough: Cycles Part II: THE COMPLEX 8. Swirl World 9. Physics' Own "Organisms" 10. Whirlpools and Weather Part III: THE LIVING 11. Thermodynamics and Life 12. Brimstone Beginnings 13. Blue Planet Blues 14. Regress under Stress 15. The Secret of Trees 16. Into the Cool 17. Trends in Evolution Part IV: THE HUMAN 18. Health, Vigor, and Longevity 19. Economics 20. Purpose in Life Appendix: Principles of Open Thermodynamic Systems References Index