“The laws of thermodynamics were developed by nineteenth-century scientists to describe relationships between heat and mechanical energy. The second law of thermodynamics is based on the observation that many physical processes appear irreversible: Although these processes may theoretically be able to proceed forward or backward, when we observe them, they only go one way. Once a supposedly irreversible event occurs, there’s no turning back. The general version of the second law of thermodynamics, informally stated as follows, addresses this phenomenon: The total perceived disorder, or “entropy,” in the universe is always increasing.
Suppose you put some salt in a container and put a layer of pepper on top of the salt. If you shake the container vigorously, the salt and pepper become disorderly, or randomly mixed. Suppose you keep shaking the container in an attempt to get the mixture to return to its original state, with the salt separated from the pepper. It is theoretically possible that you will get lucky and succeed, but this is so unlikely that not even the most degenerate gambler would bet on your success. The reason is simple: Even though every configuration of salt and pepper in the container has the same chance of occurring, there are so many more configurations of salt and pepper grains in which the ingredients are mixed together than configurations in which they are separated that the chance of separation by random mixing is near zero.
The salt-and-pepper example suggests that, in part, the second law of thermodynamics has a statistical explanation:
There are more ways for disorder to occur than order.
Just as electricity follows the path of least resistance, chance follows the path of most likely. Although it is theoretically possible for things in the universe to get more orderly, they eventually get disorderly, simply because disorder can happen in more ways than order.
Now think of Humpty Dumpty. Suppose you push an object off a wall so that it falls to the ground and smashes to pieces. Maybe it’s possible to meticulously put all the pieces together again, but it requires a lot of work. This suggests another factor contributing to the second law of thermodynamics: It’s easier to destroy something than to reconstruct it later.”
From ‘What are the chances!’
It’s interesting to reflect on this through the lenses of antifragility and the kintsugi.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing ceramics with gold
Gold is valued because, I believe, of it’s ability to withstand entropy across time (as well as its evident scarcity)
And I think anything that is valuable is so because it counters entropy (it will not turn to disorder / dust in the future)
By repairing fragile ceramics with gold we reversing entropy visibly: indicating that something was worth saving, it has a value. Humpty Dumpty wasn’t worth saving by the looks of it.
Ceramics is something physically fragile – one big shock can break it. When I think about the concept of antifragility we are allowing some degree of entropy into the system and actively repairing the imposed disorder (harm) with something symbolically golden to make the entire system thrive over a longer period of time (counter to the trend towards disorder). But ultimately anything antifragile is still only antifragile with the inclusion of energy, and within the broader concept of the universe’s continued trend towards greater disorder, so it cannot be infinitely antifragile. Unless we keep repairing the bowl until the entire thing becomes golden – perhaps the meaning of the holy grail?