The Tao, Thermodynamics, and this Blog

Lao Tzu wrote of the TAO and balance at a personal, spiritual, political, and societal level. Sir Isaac Newton wrote of physics and physical/ mathematical balance.

Balance is opposing forces- the Yin/Yang, the universal see-saw, the perfect pendulum.

True equilibrium, in a thermodynamic closed system, the teeter-totter that never moves, is death. A can of cola at room temperature is in “equilibrium”. It does not change. It is dead.

Dorian Sagan, among other brilliant minds, wrote of thermodynamics and the  balance of energy in the universe as a gradient. On a miniscule scale, our solar system is not a closed system like the cola can. A gradient exists between the high quality energy of our sun and the cold of the edge of the universe. Energy flows Into the Cool.

Life exists far from the thermodynamic equilibrium of a cola can. We live in an energy gradient and participate by processing energy to make the gradient efficient. Life results.

This is my interpretation of the balance Lao Tsu understood, thermodynamic balance, and life as I understand it.

LIFE IS . . . 1) An Emergent Property

Life is an emergent property of autopoietic, dissipative systems.

Emergent property:  Imagine an automobile engine, completely dissembled on the shop floor.  You look at each piece, each wire, each connector.  It makes no sense and you can't imagine the purpose of the assembled unit.

Sir Isaac Newton imagined the Universe and life as a giant mechanical system that could be understood if completely dissembled and examined.  He was wrong.

Life self organizes with increasing complexity for only one purpose- obeying the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

LIFE IS . . . 2) Autopoesis.

Life is an emergent property of autopoietic, dissipative systems.

There is no such thing as a perpetual motion machine.  Without energy input, all activity comes to equilibrium and stops.  Death.

Autopoesis is a self-regulating, self-perpetuating system.  Think metabolism.  Photosynthesis is a series of chemical reactions that converts sunlight into stored chemical energy- sugar from plants.   The Krebs Cycle converts stored energy in sugar into chemical energy that powers life's activities- leaving heat as waste.  

They are both regenerating, cyclic systems that obey the Second Law of Thermodynamics.  They convert high quality sunlight into chemical energy we know as sugar, into life's various activities.

Autopoesis is the machine that converts sunlight into heat, allowing life in between the extremes of the gradient.

LIFE IS . . . 3) Dissipative Systems

Life is an emergent property of autopoietic, dissipative systems.

According to Wikipedia: A dissipative system is a thermodynamically open system which is operating out of, and often far from, thermodynamic equilibrium in an environment with which it exchanges energy and matter.

The purpose and driving force for life, evolution, and creation is the efficient conversion of high quality energy into low quality heat.  Creation is the self-organizing, increasingly complex process necessary to achieve that single goal.

TAO 1- The Indescribable

The Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be spoken is not the eternal Name.
The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of creation.
Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery.
By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real.
Yet mystery and reality emerge from the same source.
This source is called darkness.
Darkness born from darkness.
The beginning of all understanding.

I certainly don’t understand Newton's law of Thermodynamics. 

Just as Robert Heinlein’s character Michael in Stranger in a Strange Land would “grok” it at a deep spiritual level, we grok the concept of a creative force but can’t explain it.

Thermodynamics is that drive, the border between entropy and enthalpy. 

It is mystery and reality.

In the beginning there was darkness, 

then the big bang collided p- and m- branes

- fired by the force of Thermodynamics.

TAO 2- Balance

When people see things as beautiful,

ugliness is created.

When people see things as good,

evil is created.

Being and non-being produce each other.

Difficult and easy complement each other.

Long and short define each other.

High and low oppose each other.

Fore and aft follow each other.

Therefore the Master

can act without doing anything

and teach without saying a word.

Things come her way and she does not stop them;

things leave and she lets them go.

She has without possessing,

and acts without any expectations.

When her work is done, she take no credit.

That is why it will last forever.

Begin a journey into the Yin and Yang- balancing creative forces. 

When one force occurs, the balancing force happens. 

Beauty balances Ugly. Light v. Dark. Good v. Bad.

Thermodynamics is the balance of entropy (Yin) and enthalpy (Yang)

As a part of the universe is organized, increasing enthalpy, another region must balance with an increase in disorder- entropy. 

One creates the other without cause and effect.

TAO 3- Enthaly and Ehtropy

If you overly esteem talented individuals,
people will become overly competitive.
If you overvalue possessions,
people will begin to steal.

Do not display your treasures
or people will become envious.

The Master leads by
emptying people's minds,
filling their bellies,
weakening their ambitions,
and making them become strong.
Preferring simplicity and freedom from desires,
avoiding the pitfalls of knowledge and wrong action.

For those who practice not-doing,
everything will fall into place.

 

In a universe balanced by enthalpy- an increase of order and complexity, and entropy- an increase in disorder, when one creative force occurs, by necessity the other must as well.

Increasing the complexity on Earth, bacteria evolving into humans, has resulted in a more efficient method of processing high quality energy from the sun into low quality heat.

Any attempt to manipulate one results in a balancing manipulation of the other.

TAO 4- The Source of Everything

The Tao is like an empty container:
it can never be emptied and can never be filled.
Infinitely deep, it is the source of all things.
It dulls the sharp, unties the knotted,
shades the lighted, and unites all of creation with dust.

It is hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to it.
It is older than the concept of God.

The thermodynamic drive is a law, not an object, thing, or measurable quantity.  It was the initial creative force at the beginning of the “time arrow” or Big Bang.  It has been present forever and will remain unchanged forever.  You can’t touch it, describe it, or change it.

If you choose an anthropomorphic god, all it had to do was invent the law for our universe to exist.

TAO 5- Straw Dogs

Heaven and Earth are impartial;
they treat all of creation as straw dogs.
The Master doesn't take sides;
she treats everyone like a straw dog.

The space between Heaven and Earth is like a bellows;
it is empty, yet has not lost its power.
The more it is used, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you comprehend.

It is better not to speak of things you do not understand.

The law of thermodynamics stands on its own.  Religious rules, man-made laws, or silly beliefs have no effect- they are straw dogs.  Thermodynamics acts on the energy of the universe without regard to straw dogs.  The law doesn’t care if man wants to change it- that’s not possible.

Lao Tse’s concept of the bellows dates to a time before the realization that air consists of matter.  But matter and energy, being interchangeable, provide the power or engine that drives life.

This is a concept that can be described mathematically, but nearly impossible to understand beyond an emotional response.

TAO 6- Time Arrow

The spirit of emptiness is immortal.
It is called the Great Mother
because it gives birth to Heaven and Earth.

It is like a vapor,
barely seen but always present.
Use it effortlessly.

The arrow of time moves from total pure energy to total chaos- from the big bang to thermal death of the universe.  Thermodynamics defines the direction of time and demands that energy runs from high quality to heat in the most efficient manner possible. 

It is automatic, always driving, unseen.

TAO 7- Taodynamics

The Tao of Heaven is eternal,
and the earth is long enduring.
Why are they long enduring?
They do not live for themselves;
thus they are present for all beings.

The Master puts herself last;
And finds herself in the place of authority.
She detaches herself from all things;
Therefore she is united with all things.
She gives no thought to self.
She is perfectly fulfilled.

Thermodynamics has always been and will always be.  The organization we know to be Earth and life has been here for a long time, but not forever.  Life on our planet is not unique, but required by the law of thermodynamics.  Life exists because it is the most efficient way to dissipate high quality energy.

Thermodynamics doesn’t give a damn about anything man can imagine.  It just is.  It just does.

TAO 8- TAO and Thermodynamics

The supreme good is like water,
which benefits all of creation
without trying to compete with it.
It gathers in unpopular places.
Thus it is like the Tao.

The location makes the dwelling good.
Depth of understanding makes the mind good.
A kind heart makes the giving good.
Integrity makes the government good.
Accomplishment makes your labors good.
Proper timing makes a decision good.

Only when there is no competition
will we all live in peace.

Lao Tsu describes the Tao as water- a common metaphor he uses.  He also continues to emphasize the concept of non-work, non-competition as creative.

The Law of Thermodynamics is the reason and means for creation.  It does not interfere with anything else- everything else is a result of this law.  Any attempt to alter or manipulate the actions of this law result in a balancing action.

The purpose of humanity or any life is to process high quality energy into low quality heat- we can be aware of this simple concept and use it to obey the law- doing the next right thing- or the law will counter balance the negative.

Only when we understand that the universe is in perfect balance, accept and live by that rule will we have peace.

TAO 9- Carry an Empty Cup

It is easier to carry an empty cup

than one that is filled to the brim.

The sharper the knife

the easier it is to dull.

The more wealth you possess

the harder it is to protect.

Pride brings its own trouble.

When you have accomplished your goal

simply walk away.

This is the path way to Heaven.

As humans we have evolved to the point of unbelievable arrogance. This will be our downfall and the cause of our extinction.

We somehow believe we can mindlessly ignore thermodynamics, create energy rather than process energy, ignore the consequences of our arrogance, and speed up enthalpy without consequence.

We are proud of seeming to overwhelm the natural physiologic processes of GAIA and produce endless carbon dioxide.

Global climate change is the inevitable result of such hubris. The Law of Thermodynamics (the Tao) demands that there is a balance and that the residual energy of CO2 be processed efficiently into heat. We are powerless to resist.

When we realize that our purpose, life’s purpose, is the efficient processing of energy, and we stop trying to do otherwise, we will fulfill our destiny.

TAO 10- Thermodynamics Gives and Takes

Nurture the darkness of your soul
until you become whole.
Can you do this and not fail?
Can you focus your life-breath until you become
supple as a newborn child?
While you cleanse your inner vision
will you be found without fault?
Can you love people and lead them
without forcing your will on them?
When Heaven gives and takes away
can you be content with the outcome?
When you understand all things
can you step back from your own understanding?
Giving birth and nourishing,
making without possessing,
expecting nothing in return.
To grow, yet not to control:
This is the mysterious virtue.

Wow- heavy warning from the time of Confucius.

Lao Tsu’s challenge is whether we can understand and change our behaviors to live within the confines and rules of thermodynamics.  Can we learn to be in balance with what we call nature and in harmony with GAIA?

When Heaven gives and takes away
can you be content with the outcome?

Can we, knowing as a life form, that we are capable of incredible destruction and chaos be willing to accept the consequences?

Destruction of our speck of sand in the endless beach of the universe means nothing, except to us. 

Thermodynamics demands that energy and complexity both move to chaos and heat.  If we speed up that process are we not following this simple rule?

It will happen- that is given.  But we have the opportunity to delay the certain and enjoy the process if we are wise.

TAO 11- TAO, Energy, and Life

Thirty spokes are joined together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that allows the wheel to function.

We mold clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that makes the vessel useful.

We fashion wood for a house,
but it is the emptiness inside
that makes it livable.

We work with the substantial,
but the emptiness is what we use.

Although the purpose of life is to efficiently process energy, we miss the point on complexity.  Complexity is efficiency.

Energy from our Sun, our closest source of high quality energy, radiates into space.  That energy continues to radiate until it interacts with something- a hydrogen atom or a celestial body with complex life forms.  Very little energy is changed with the interaction of a hydrogen atom, or a dead rock in space- some minimal absorption and re-radiation as light and heat.  Complex life forms are the most efficient dissipaters of the energy.

Growing a tree uses energy as high quality sunlight.  Cutting it down burns calories from food sources, chopping it into lumber, turning the stump into a bowl on a lathe, burning the scrap in the fireplace- each is a step from sunlight to heat.  It is not the tree or the bowl that is important.  It is the process of energy dissipation that has meaning.  We can’t see the process.

Life is driven by energy dissipation, which is the Tao of Thermodynamics.

TAO 12- Five Colors

Five colors blind the eye.
Five notes deafen the ear.
Five flavors make the palate go stale.
Too much activity deranges the mind.
Too much wealth causes crime.

The Master acts on what she feels and not what she sees.
She shuns the latter, and prefers to seek the former.

We shouldn’t over-think complexity and energy.  We can only understand so much, write so many equations on the chalkboard, pass so many laws to control behavior before we lose sight of how simple this is.

We know that Gaia is ill- we don’t need a planetary temperature or pundits to tell us.  Pay attention to what we know is real.

TAO 13- We're Our Own Worst Enemy

Success is as dangerous as failure,
and we are often our own worst enemy.

What does it mean that success is as dangerous as failure?
He who is superior is also someone's subordinate.
Receiving favor and losing it both cause alarm.
That is what is meant by success is as dangerous as failure.
What does it mean that we are often our own worst enemy?
The reason I have an enemy is because I have a "self".
If I no longer had a "self", I would no longer have an enemy.

Love the whole world as if it were your self;
then you will truly care for all things.

We have successfully become so complex that we have “tamed” GAIA.  Humans, as control freaks, have succeeded in curing infant mortality and disease to the point of overpopulation, hunted the buffalo to near extinction, and created so much stuff that we polluted our water and air with the excess.

We are our own worst enemy, and once we realize that our purpose in life is not to make stuff, but to love life itself and live within the bounds of thermodynamics; only then will be truly successful.

TAO 14- We Can See Energy

Look for it, and it can't be seen.
Listen for it, and it can't be heard.
Grasp for it, and it can't be caught.
These three cannot be further described,
so we treat them as The One.

Its highest is not bright.
Its depths are not dark.
Unending, unnameable, it returns to nothingness.
Formless forms, and imageless images,
subtle, beyond all understanding.

Approach it and you will not see a beginning;
follow it and there will be no end.
When we grasp the Tao of the ancient ones,
we can use it to direct our life today.
To know the ancient origin of Tao:
this is the beginning of wisdom. 

Thermodynamics is a concept that at best can be vaguely described with mathematics.  But scribbles on a chalkboard are meaningless without deeper feelings- imageless images.  We can’t see energy- only its effect.  We can’t touch, taste or hear it- only its effect.

Great intellects have tired to describe energy at the very beginning of the time arrow and failed.  We don’t understand what happened before the first 10^-30 second.  We don’t need to- not every mystery requires a solution.

Each mystery that is “solved” only leads to a new one.

Wisdom knows that there are forces we may never describe, touch or see, but can grasp with our minds.  Belief is based on acceptance of this wisdom.

TAO 15- The Ancients Knew Better

The Sages of old were profound
and knew the ways of subtlety and discernment.
Their wisdom is beyond our comprehension.
Because their knowledge was so far superior
I can only give a poor description.

They were careful
as someone crossing a frozen stream in winter.
Alert as if surrounded on all sides by the enemy.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Whole as an uncarved block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Turbid as muddied water.

Who can be still
until their mud settles
and the water is cleared by itself?
Can you remain tranquil until right action occurs by itself?

The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.
For only those who are not full are able to be used
which brings the feeling of completeness.

We live in a very complex society.  We can’t wait to develop the next great technology, build the next biggest car or factory or convert the last rain forest into cattle grazing land.

We no longer process energy in a balanced fashion.  Instead we rush to build a dead rock in space that will continue to dissipate energy long after we are gone.

As a species we have forgotten the need for balance.  Our ancestors understood.  We need to re-learn not to kill the last buffalo so we’ll have meat next year.  We need to learn that energy will flow regardless of what we think we need.

TAO 16- Letting Go, Letting Thermodynamics

If you can empty your mind of all thoughts
your heart will embrace the tranquility of peace.
Watch the workings of all of creation,
but contemplate their return to the source.

All creatures in the universe
return to the point where they began.
Returning to the source is tranquility
because we submit to Heaven's mandate.

Returning to Heaven's mandate is called being constant.
Knowing the constant is called 'enlightenment'.
Not knowing the constant is the source of evil deeds
because we have no roots.
By knowing the constant we can accept things as they are.
By accepting things as they are, we become impartial.
By being impartial, we become one with Heaven.
By being one with Heaven, we become one with Tao.
Being one with Tao, we are no longer concerned about
losing our life because we know the Tao is constant
and we are one with Tao.

The more I study creation, the more questions I have and the less I understand.  I have faith, not of religion, but of thermodynamics.  It is the source and reason for creation.  Accepting that provides spiritual peace.  Living with an eye to entropy and enthalpy is what is right.  Ignoring the balance is killing Gaia to no purpose.

When I accept that there is a purpose in this universe, and that purpose is for life to dissipate energy efficiently, I will be doing my conscious part toward that goal.