SOCIAL ENTROPY: Or, How every society is destined to turn to shit.

A PARADIGMATIC APPROACH OF THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS TO AN UNUSUAL DOMAIN

James Lawler

Honorary Professor of San Marcos University, Lima Perú

President of Nexial Institute, Dallas, USA


SUMMARY



A pseudo state function, the “Social Entropy” (SE) is defined in order to show the application of the second law of thermodynamics to the human social behavior. This is achieved under the assumption that such property (SE) is equivalent to the degree of social dissatisfaction (SD), of certain social, economic, or political system. Hence, a Boltzmann type equation is used after simplifying it with Stirling formula , to obtain a rough estimative of the amount of the relative SE in a determined place and moment of history .



A case study related to the Peruvian society has been used here to demonstrate our hypothesis that the social entropy tends to increase with time. Similarly the degree of disorder of a thermodynamic system increases with time. Generally speaking we observe so far that the degree of disorder is a manifestation of the social dissatisfaction within the limits of the system.

http://www.nexialinstitute.com/social_entropy.htm

Jeez Zack. There's an awful lot to read in your link

Any chance of cherry-picking a paragraph or two and we can discuss that?
Or give us your opinion?

3.  An Unsuspected Visitor

Lets postulate the following ideal scenario for our analysis.
There is an extraterrestrial observer whose spacecraft is outside of our atmosphere and by the way, he is never visible to us. However, in spite of the distance, he is still able to distinguish the movement of individual human beings. Certainly, it would not take too long for him, to realize that the movements of human beings obey chaotic rules. This ideal scenario would not matter too much to him, unless he ignores the second law of thermodynamics, but indeed he does not ignore this law. Thus, such observer would conclude quickly that human beings express many forms of unusual, seemingly irrational, behavior. For example, he will be surprised looking at riots, political meetings, religious behavior, wars, etc. As a result of these observations, he would ask himself, what in hell motivates such uncommon behavior of the human beings?.
Suppose now that this alien visitor gets closer to the earth (remember, he is invisible to human beings) and manages to learn the reason why the human beings behave that way. Soon he would be able to understand that such apparently unusual behavior is consistently motivated by a lack of some degree of freedom; which may be summed up as a state of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Viewed in this way, our social system may be approached through the second law of thermodynamics.

I've gotta admit dear Fuzzy; this type of deep thinking was much more enjoyable back in my college days when shared with some like minded friends and we were >  now it just gives me a 'brain ache' and will most likely get lost in translation in here

its best viewed after partaking a little "weed"

I'll be back about 10

Btw 4ever that part you quoted was the only part I read in the original article

To be honest, I was looking into entropy and saw the link between that and a chaotic society. So I googled "social entropy" and found this paper. And yes, a spliff helped.

FYI: you can ignore the mathematics in the paper.

For those who don't know:

Entropy is a measure of disorder or disorganisation is a closed system.

The second law of thermodynamics states that a closed system that starts off ordered or structured becomes more chaotic as time progresses (the arrow of time).

When a system becomes more chaotic, entropy is said to increase. All closed systems (even the universe) inevitable tend towards chaos to the point that you cannot not reverse it. Like dropping a plate and cracking it into a million pieces. It's almost impossible to reassemble the plate.

This principle can be seen in nature. Such as leaves dropping from trees in the autumn. People getting older or even your coffee getting colder.

Social entropy is the idea that a society can start of ordered (like the creation of the USA) and the people are satisfied by that society. But over time, society inevitably becomes more chaotic and people are increasingly dissatisfied. To the point where the chaos is irreversible and eventually falls (like Rome).

Social entropy is the idea that a society can start of ordered (like the creation of the USA) and the people are satisfied by that society. But over time, society inevitably becomes more chaotic and people are increasingly dissatisfied. To the point where the chaos is irreversible and eventually falls (like Rome).

Which has been my 'MANTRA' for a long-long time; when I hear people recite 'well, the fore fathers of this great nation had to have been thinking ~~~' ...and they'll spiel off a line of utter BS as if they've got a link to that old dead fossil and know exactly what he'd say or do in this the 21st century!

Time for the 'rabble rousing' disappearing middle class to RISE UP and RAISE SOME HELL and put the fear back into our elected officials and actually get some things changed; instead of the apathy and heated rhetoric that they can rave & rant on their daily media source.
I've got my local - Country - state legislators email/snail mail addresses listed right here beside my PC; how many people in the huge nation actually know who their representative is?  NOT VERY MANY

More Americans need to feel the Bern.

Fuck Hilldog and double fuck Trump.

Fuzzy Zack wrote:More Americans need to feel the Bern.

Fuck Hilldog and double fuck Trump.

  watch it mister; don't be trashing my♀ 

But seriously; among the native Indians tribes when there weren't any revenging tribal factions to vent the young warriors spleen ...they'd design some aggressive/physical games to play to work all that energy off. 

I've often wondered if my nation lacked some of that togetherness like England has such a long history of: public beheading/tossing neardowells into the dungeon/putting people into stocks/royals poisoning each other or going to war - family vs family. 

If the ability to pull together against establishment {like so many of us did in the Viet Nam era - War Protestors Unite} ...that rushing the congressional halls/senate offices and delving out some public beatings wouldn't be the thing to unite my country like never before

Fuzzy Zack wrote:To be honest, I was looking into entropy and saw the link between that and a chaotic society. So I googled "social entropy" and found this paper. And yes, a spliff helped.

FYI: you can ignore the mathematics in the paper.

For those who don't know:

Entropy is a measure of disorder or disorganisation is a closed system.

The second law of thermodynamics states that a closed system that starts off ordered or structured becomes more chaotic as time progresses (the arrow of time).

When a system becomes more chaotic, entropy is said to increase. All closed systems (even the universe) inevitable tend towards chaos to the point that you cannot not reverse it. Like dropping a plate and cracking it into a million pieces. It's almost impossible to reassemble the plate.

This principle can be seen in nature. Such as leaves dropping from trees in the autumn. People getting older or even your coffee getting colder.

Social entropy is the idea that a society can start of ordered (like the creation of the USA) and the people are satisfied by that society. But over time, society inevitably becomes more chaotic and people are increasingly dissatisfied. To the point where the chaos is irreversible and eventually falls (like Rome).

I don't know if a spliff helped or you explained that well, but I got it.

For all that waffle though it does sound pretty common sense?

An additional point about entropy is that even though the direction of chaos is unchangeable, you can regress its progress by adding energy.

Just as you can stop your coffee getting colder by adding more heat. Or slow the aging process by exercising (mechanical energy). You will eventually die but you can slow the process and improve the quality of your life by exercising. The question is: do you think it's worth exercising even though you know you'll die eventually anyway?

Similarly, do you think it's worth working to improve society (even a revolution against the establishment, as 4ever2 mentions) or just sit back and accept the inevitable chaos and just moan about it?

eddie wrote:

Fuzzy Zack wrote:To be honest, I was looking into entropy and saw the link between that and a chaotic society. So I googled "social entropy" and found this paper. And yes, a spliff helped.

FYI: you can ignore the mathematics in the paper.

For those who don't know:

Entropy is a measure of disorder or disorganisation is a closed system.

The second law of thermodynamics states that a closed system that starts off ordered or structured becomes more chaotic as time progresses (the arrow of time).

When a system becomes more chaotic, entropy is said to increase. All closed systems (even the universe) inevitable tend towards chaos to the point that you cannot not reverse it. Like dropping a plate and cracking it into a million pieces. It's almost impossible to reassemble the plate.

This principle can be seen in nature. Such as leaves dropping from trees in the autumn. People getting older or even your coffee getting colder.

Social entropy is the idea that a society can start of ordered (like the creation of the USA) and the people are satisfied by that society. But over time, society inevitably becomes more chaotic and people are increasingly dissatisfied. To the point where the chaos is irreversible and eventually falls (like Rome).

I don't know if a spliff helped or you explained that well, but I got it.

For all that waffle though it does sound pretty common sense?

Agree it's common sense but that's just good philosophy.

Fuzzy Zack wrote:An additional point about entropy is that even though the direction of chaos is unchangeable, you can regress its progress by adding energy.

Just as you can stop your coffee getting colder by adding more heat. Or slow the aging process by exercising (mechanical energy). You will eventually die but you can slow the process and improve the quality of your life by exercising. The question is: do you think it's worth exercising even though you know you'll die eventually anyway?

Similarly, do you think it's worth working to improve society (even a revolution against the establishment, as 4ever2 mentions) or just sit back and accept the inevitable chaos and just moan about it?

Substitute Energy with New migrants
there is your formula for a society with longevity

Fuzzy Zack wrote:An additional point about entropy is that even though the direction of chaos is unchangeable, you can regress its progress by adding energy.

Just as you can stop your coffee getting colder by adding more heat. Or slow the aging process by exercising (mechanical energy). You will eventually die but you can slow the process and improve the quality of your life by exercising. The question is: do you think it's worth exercising even though you know you'll die eventually anyway?

Similarly, do you think it's worth working to improve society (even a revolution against the establishment, as 4ever2 mentions) or just sit back and accept the inevitable chaos and just moan about it?

Split that into categories of:
Youth - isn't that why we reproduce '?' to turn this social chaos over to the next couple of generations so we can 'just sit back'

Age Progression - running around wailing at all the 'WIND MILLS' of life {Don Quixote} like becomes so mind boggling and energy draining ...the mantra of choosing one battles wisely becomes germane for giving that specific issue as much of one self as possible

Revolution - I'd see many in my generation being part of a planning committee but then again ...I served on a local 'Planning/Zoning Committee' for 8 years - didn't know that the 5 of us could be so F'n hard to make decisions that wasn't going to piss off so-in-so's BFF's forever - or first cousins - or OMG, I owe him so much money there's no way I could zone that anything but this way ---  

APATHY - "just sit back and accept the inevitable chaos and just moan about it?" ...yes, indeed - I've earned that right! LOL

Veya stated > Substitute Energy with New migrants
there is your formula for a society with longevity

Ah, yes ...a new thought process - new blood - new energy; a sure fire way to generate a bonfire of mega proportions!  LOL  
Sad, but true ...it's why the blue blooded Royals set aside deeply hated fear of foreigners and reached out to make marriage arrangements between their heirs ...protecting their borders - protecting those partnerships - new blood was what kept the royal line from becoming nothing but a bunch of mindless Didgy-dooers!