Entropy: A New World View
Encyclopedia
Entropy: A New World View is a non-fiction book by Jeremy Rifkin
and Ted Howard, with an Afterword by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen
. First published by The Viking Press, New York in 1980 (ISBN 0-670-29717-8).
A paper-back edition was published by Bantam in 1981, with a paper-back Revised Edition, by Bantam, in 1989 (ISBN 0-553-34717-9).
In the book the authors seek to analyse the world's economic and social structures by using the second law of thermodynamics
, that is, the law of entropy
. The authors argue that humanity is wasting resources at an increasing rate, and that will lead to the destruction of our civilization, which has happened before on a smaller scale for past empires. The book promotes the use of sustainable energy sources and slow resource consumption as the solution to delay the inevitable: death by entropy.
The book is highly controversial.
Jeremy Rifkin
Jeremy Rifkin is an American economist, writer, public speaker, political advisor and activist. He is the founder and president of the Foundation On Economic Trends...
and Ted Howard, with an Afterword by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, born Nicolae Georgescu was a Romanian mathematician, statistician and economist, best known for his 1971 magnum opus The Entropy Law and the Economic Process, which situated the view that the second law of thermodynamics, i.e., that usable "free energy" tends to disperse...
. First published by The Viking Press, New York in 1980 (ISBN 0-670-29717-8).
A paper-back edition was published by Bantam in 1981, with a paper-back Revised Edition, by Bantam, in 1989 (ISBN 0-553-34717-9).
In the book the authors seek to analyse the world's economic and social structures by using the second law of thermodynamics
Second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the tendency that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential equilibrate in an isolated physical system. From the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the law deduced the principle of the increase of entropy and...
, that is, the law of entropy
Entropy
Entropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
. The authors argue that humanity is wasting resources at an increasing rate, and that will lead to the destruction of our civilization, which has happened before on a smaller scale for past empires. The book promotes the use of sustainable energy sources and slow resource consumption as the solution to delay the inevitable: death by entropy.
The book is highly controversial.
External links
- Entropy, Algeny & The End of Work a review by Howard Doughty
- Entropy: A Limit to Energy Use a criticism by K. Eric Drexler