Unraveling the Entropy Paradox: From Thermodynamics to Memetics - The Evolutionary Spectrum of Information Transformation

The concept of dissipative structures comes from thermodynamics and is specifically relevant in non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Dissipative structures are organized systems, like living organisms or hurricanes, that exist far from thermodynamic equilibrium. They exchange energy and matter with their environment and generate entropy in the process.

As Ilya Prigogine noted, dissipative structures tend to maximize the rate at which they transform energy from a more ordered state to a more disordered one, effectively decreasing their local entropy. This ability to locally decrease entropy is what allows for the emergence of complex, organized structures and systems. In a sense, you could say that they "store" information about their environment and their interaction with it.

From a broader perspective, the evolution of life and the development of genetic and memetic systems can indeed be seen as a continuation of this process. Genetic systems encode information about the organism's environment and its strategies for surviving and reproducing. This information is passed on through generations, refined by the process of natural selection.

Similarly, memetic systems or cultures encode information about an individual's or a society's learned behaviors, knowledge, and strategies for interacting with the environment and other individuals. This information can be passed on within a generation, allowing for rapid adaptation to changing conditions.

Computer technology can be viewed as a further extension of this process. Information technology enables us to store, process, and transmit information at unprecedented scales and speeds, effectively "accelerating" the process of information exchange and evolution.

sources:

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Human-Evolution_VF.png

https://www.francois-roddier.fr/blog_en/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Thermodynamics_of_evolution.pdf