It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of Entropy
Ludwig Boltzmann’s move in his seminal paper of 1877, introducing a statistical understanding of entropy, was a watershed moment in the history of physics. The work not only introduced quantization and provided a new understanding of entropy, it challenged the understanding of what a law of nature c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Entropy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/3/238 |
| _version_ | 1797241199525888000 |
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| author | Steven Gimbel |
| author_facet | Steven Gimbel |
| author_sort | Steven Gimbel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ludwig Boltzmann’s move in his seminal paper of 1877, introducing a statistical understanding of entropy, was a watershed moment in the history of physics. The work not only introduced quantization and provided a new understanding of entropy, it challenged the understanding of what a law of nature could be. Traditionally, nomological necessity, that is, specifying the way in which a system must develop, was considered an essential element of proposed physical laws. Yet, here was a new understanding of the Second Law of Thermodynamics that no longer possessed this property. While it was a new direction in physics, in other important scientific discourses of that time—specifically Huttonian geology and Darwinian evolution, similar approaches were taken in which a system’s development followed principles, but did so in a way that both provided a direction of time and allowed for non-deterministic, though rule-based, time evolution. Boltzmann referred to both of these theories, especially the work of Darwin, frequently. The possibility that Darwin influenced Boltzmann’s thought in physics can be seen as being supported by Boltzmann’s later writings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:19:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c8569a325e2b46d199407fd2cd032f47 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1099-4300 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:19:32Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Entropy |
| spelling | doaj.art-c8569a325e2b46d199407fd2cd032f472024-03-27T13:36:56ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002024-03-0126323810.3390/e26030238It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of EntropySteven Gimbel0Department of Philosophy, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325, USALudwig Boltzmann’s move in his seminal paper of 1877, introducing a statistical understanding of entropy, was a watershed moment in the history of physics. The work not only introduced quantization and provided a new understanding of entropy, it challenged the understanding of what a law of nature could be. Traditionally, nomological necessity, that is, specifying the way in which a system must develop, was considered an essential element of proposed physical laws. Yet, here was a new understanding of the Second Law of Thermodynamics that no longer possessed this property. While it was a new direction in physics, in other important scientific discourses of that time—specifically Huttonian geology and Darwinian evolution, similar approaches were taken in which a system’s development followed principles, but did so in a way that both provided a direction of time and allowed for non-deterministic, though rule-based, time evolution. Boltzmann referred to both of these theories, especially the work of Darwin, frequently. The possibility that Darwin influenced Boltzmann’s thought in physics can be seen as being supported by Boltzmann’s later writings.https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/3/238Ludwig BoltzmannentropyCharles Darwinevolutionmodel |
| spellingShingle | Steven Gimbel It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of Entropy Entropy Ludwig Boltzmann entropy Charles Darwin evolution model |
| title | It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of Entropy |
| title_full | It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of Entropy |
| title_fullStr | It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of Entropy |
| title_full_unstemmed | It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of Entropy |
| title_short | It Ain’t Necessarily So: Ludwig Boltzmann’s Darwinian Notion of Entropy |
| title_sort | it ain t necessarily so ludwig boltzmann s darwinian notion of entropy |
| topic | Ludwig Boltzmann entropy Charles Darwin evolution model |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/3/238 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stevengimbel itaintnecessarilysoludwigboltzmannsdarwiniannotionofentropy |