Evolution as (neg)entropy

Raphael Goubet said:

Hi,

Could anyone recommend me some readings on the topic of evolution as entropy (or as negentropy, I
would think)?

I think that the notion of complexity to explain evolution has been largely used by people such as
Stuart Kauffman and Brian Goodwin, but I couldn't find references of writing referring to entropy.

Thanks in advance.

Raphael

[moderator's note: Call me crazy, but how about Brooks and Wiley's book, "Evolution as Entropy"?
(Univ. Chicago Press, 1988, I think). Worth a look, although my recollection is that it's extremely
dense writing. - JAH]

Evolution is not ordinarily considered in the context of entropy except. That is why there are not
"standard" works in this area. There are specific somewhat speculative treatises like the Brooks
book already mentioned, as well as things like Weber, Bruce: ed. (1988) Entropy, Information, and
Evolution, MIT Press, Cambridge.

You should also look at works in information theory and complexity theory. Still, none of these
areas are main-line evolution. They usually represent physicists or mathematicians attempts at
developinjg some sort of synthetic theory applicable to evolution.

Raphael Goubet said:

Hi,

Could anyone recommend me some readings on the topic of evolution as entropy (or as negentropy, I
would think)?

I think that the notion of complexity to explain evolution has been largely used by people such as
Stuart Kauffman and Brian Goodwin, but I couldn't find references of writing referring to entropy.

Thanks in advance.

Raphael

[moderator's note: Call me crazy, but how about Brooks and Wiley's book, "Evolution as Entropy"?
(Univ. Chicago Press, 1988, I think). Worth a look, although my recollection is that it's
extremely dense writing. - JAH]

Brooks, D. R., and E. O. Wiley. 1988. Evolution as entropy: toward a unified theory of biology.
Edited by D. L. Hull. 2nd ed, Science and its conceptual foundations. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.

Add to this

Chaisson, Eric L. 2001. Cosmic evolution: The rise of complexity in nature. Cambridge MA: Harvard
University Press.

The entropy in B&W is Shannon entropy, or the informational entropy of a signal. The entropy in
Chaisson is thermodynamic entropy. Personally, I prefer the latter account.
--
John Wilkins wilkins.id.au For long you live and high you fly, and smiles you'll give and tears
you'll cry and all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be

in article [email hidden], Raphael Goubet at
[email hidden] wrote on 11/2/03 10:44 AM:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Could anyone recommend me some readings on the topic of evolution as entropy (or as negentropy, I
would think)?

I think that the notion of complexity to explain evolution has been largely used by people such as
Stuart Kauffman and Brian Goodwin, but I couldn't find references of writing referring to entropy.

Thanks in advance.

Raphael

[moderator's note: Call me crazy, but how about Brooks and Wiley's book, "Evolution as Entropy"?
(Univ. Chicago Press, 1988, I think). Worth a look, although my recollection is that it's
extremely dense writing. - JAH]

In addition to "Evolution as Entropy", as recommended by our venerable moderator, I would add
"Darwinism Evolving" by Depew and Weber, and "Signs of Life" by Sole and Goodwin.

Welcome to the real biophysics.

Cheers,

Guy

I've posted many posts on Sci.bio.evloution on my hypthesis that all life is energy moderation -
that life began as chemicals selected in a thermal cycle, that the high end of heat (and UV) is the
selection force - with low heat just shutting down life. That life is that which stays below the
high heat and evoles to keep from low heat to
a. keep within the liquid water range
b. to keep the enzymes at their top levels (due to temp) Therefore I suggest life is energy
moderation with modification through descent.

If interested see my back posts or I'll send you more info links.

Tom Hendricks