How does the second law of thermodynamics contradict the philosophy of evolution?

Answer 1

!1. Evolution is a fact and the theory of evolution by natural selection explains much of this fact.

2. The second law of thermodynamics is not violated by evolutionary theory as the second law only applies to closed systems and the earth is not a closed system. Ask any creationist to name the other laws of thermodynamics and get a blank stare for an answer.

Answer 2

It doesn't since the earth is not an isolated system. The entropy statement of the second law says that the entropy of an isolated system cannot decrease which means things cannot become more ordered. It also means things cannot spontaneously come into being

Answer 3

The second law is often represented as declaring that all natural processes cause an increase in disorder. This is a convenient shorthand way to discuss it for some situations as long as all those involved understand the broader meaning that natural processes increase the entropy of the UNIVERSE even if they decrease the entropy on a local scale and what entropy actually means. Someone with an imperfect understanding of the 2nd law may think that evolution contradicts it because evolution is supposed to be a natural process but can make things more complex on a local scale. This is a misunderstanding of the 2nd law.

Answer 4

The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy tends to increase in a closed system, meaning that disorder or randomness increases over time. Some may argue that this contradicts the idea of evolution, which involves the development of complex and organized structures over time. However, evolution occurs in open systems (not isolated systems), where energy and matter can enter and exit, allowing for the decreases in entropy needed for life and evolution to exist.