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In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Processes that involve an increase in entropy of the system (ΔS > 0) are very often spontaneous; however, examples to the contrary are plentiful. By expanding consideration of entropy changes to include the surroundings, a significant conclusion regarding the relation between this property and spontaneity may be reached. In thermodynamic...
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Uncoupling Coriolis Force and Rotating Buoyancy Effects on Full-Field Heat Transfer Properties of a Rotating Channel
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A thermodynamic basis for teleological causality.

Terrence W Deacon1, Miguel García-Valdecasas2

  • 1Department of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences
|June 19, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Two linked self-organizing processes create stable systems by managing their own limitations. This thermodynamic model explains goal-directed behavior naturally, avoiding backward causation or reductionism.

Keywords:
autogenentropy productionevolutionself-organizationteleodynamics

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Area of Science:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Complex Systems Science
  • Philosophy of Science

Background:

  • Self-organizing processes can be self-limiting.
  • Understanding how systems maintain stability is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To model how linked self-organizing processes can achieve self-sustainment.
  • To propose a naturalized model of teleological causation.

Main Methods:

  • Linking complementary self-organizing processes via shared substrates.
  • Analyzing far-from-equilibrium dissipative dynamics.
  • Investigating entropy reduction and constraint increase.

Main Results:

  • Linked processes create boundary conditions that suppress self-undermining tendencies.
  • Co-dependent structures develop towards a self-sustaining target state.
  • A model of teleological causation is presented that avoids backward influences and reductionism.

Conclusions:

  • This thermodynamic approach provides a naturalistic explanation for goal-directedness in complex systems.
  • The model demonstrates how systems can avoid termination through mutual regulation.
  • It offers an alternative to selection-based or chance-based explanations of teleology.