• Through deductive logic, that the Second Law of Thermodynamics does apply to the Earth and therefore, to Evolution as a theory.
• Living (biological) systems are different from non-living (physical) systems, due to the information they contain.
• The thermodynamics of open systems do not account for life on Earth.
• A response to the TalkOrgins Archive regarding the Second Law.

If you have ever researched theories to support Creationism, you have probably heard of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Creationists contend that Evolution violates this law, whereas Evolutionists contend that it does not. It is a hotly debated issue. However, does Evolution really violate this law? First, let us take a closer look at what this law actually states.

"The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the universal law of increasing entropy, stating that the entropy of an isolated system which is not in equilibrium will tend to increase over time, approaching a maximum value at equilibrium."¹

Now, let's take a look at what this law actually means. Every time a "system" of physical elements exchanges energy, the entropy or disorderliness of the system increases. To put it simply, if you had a container of atoms arranged in a particular order (like a crystal), over time, as the atoms bump into each other, they become more disorganized. To put it more simply, things fall apart - over time, every thing becomes more and more chaotic within any physical closed system.

Here is an example. If you leave a banana in a vacuum (not the household cleaner type), it will eventually "fall apart" or decay. The entropy (or "chaotic disorderliness") of the banana increases. The banana does not become more organized (or less "chaotic") and turn into a banana tree over time (when left in a vacuum).

The Argument

Creation Scientists use this Second Law of Thermodynamics to show that evolution is highly improbable. Evolution assumes that a physical system, such as the earth, can produce life over time (going from a disorganized collection of atoms and molecules to a fully functional living organism - from disorder to order). Evolution, Creation Scientists argue, violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Creationists say this law states that all physical systems become more disorganized over time, whereas Evolution states that some physical systems can become more organized over time.

However, Evolution Scientists retort that the Second Law of Thermodynamics applies only to closed systems (i.e., physical systems that have no connection to any other physical systems - as if in a vacuum, sealed off unto itself). They are correct. This law only applies to closed systems. However, what Evolutionists fail to realize is that the Universe is itself a closed system. There is nothing physical in existence (as far as we know), beyond the Universe. The Second Law of Thermodynamics can and does apply to our Universe - why else would they call it a "law" of physics?

What an Evolutionist would argue is that the Earth, on which evolution occurs, is not a closed system. It interacts with the Sun and Moon, cosmic rays and dust rain down on it every day, and therefore, it is not a closed system - the Second Law does not apply to it.

Objection One: The Second Law of Thermodynamics applies only to closed systems. The Earth is not a closed system, and therefore the Second Law does not apply to it.

To answer this objection, I will first use deductive logic to demonstrate that the Second Law is very much in effect here on Earth. The next section will give the details.

Deductive Logic

Deductive logic is used throughout disciplines of science and mathematics to widen their bodies of knowledge. I can demonstrate, deductively, that the Second Law applies to the Earth, with the following:

1. The Second Law of Thermodynamics applies to closed systems.
2. The Universe is itself a closed system.
3. Therefore, the Second Law applies to the Universe.

1. The Second Law of Thermodynamics applies to the Universe.
2. The Earth is contained within and is part of the Universe.
3. Therefore, the Second Law applies to the Earth as well.

Using a bit of deductive logic, you can clearly see that the Second Law applies to not only the Universe but the Earth as well. The premises of Deduction One are hardly a stretch of the imagination, and the conclusion follows logically. The same goes for Deduction Two. I doubt anyone would argue with either premise of Deduction Two. Where the objection would come is in the conclusion of Deduction Two.

Objection Two: Just because the Earth is part of and contained within the Universe does not necessarily imply that the Second Law applies to it. There are cases of localized entropy decreases within closed systems, and a closed system as large as the Universe would certainly contain many of them. An example would be the galaxies, stars, and planets - all of which arose as order from the disorder of the Big Bang.

Good point. However, in rebuttal, the entropy of these galaxies, stars, and planets may have all decreased, but the total entropy of the Universe increased as a result. Galaxies, stars, planets, and any form of localized entropy decrease must obey the universal Second Law. It is a law of physics - not a theory. Physical laws "apply everywhere within the Universe,"² and this includes galaxies, stars, planets, localized entropy decreases, and (more importantly) Earth. The Second Law of Thermodynamics applies trillions of light years in every direction away from our galaxy the same as it applies to every square inch of our own planet.

These localized entropy decreases that Evolution Scientists are fond of do not produce life. If they did, they would be published in just about every major news journal around the world as evidence of abiogenesis. The entropy may decrease, but it then increases. The total entropy of the system is only temporarily decreased. Also, the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets may seem a huge decrease in entropy, but they pale in comparison to the shear complexity of living organisms. Galaxies and the like arose from the physical properties of the Universe, due to the effects of gravity, not because the Second Law overlooked them.

A Stew Pot Earth

The influences of gravity from the Sun, Moon, and Galaxy, cosmic rays and dust, solar winds, etc. are all minor influences. Solar heat is a major influence, but heat is the lowest and most entropic form of energy.³ Solar light strikes the Earth and is radiated off as heat. This exchange of energy can fuel small decreases in the entropy of localized systems on the Earth, but these localized decreases are fleeting at best.

"Hold on! Gravity is a minor influence? Gravity holds the Earth in orbit around the Sun! Gravity is what keeps us from flying off the face of the Earth! That is a minor influence?" Well, as far as our molecules are concerned, it is. Gravity is the weakest of the four fundamental physical forces.⁴ How much weaker? Of just the electromagnetic force, it is about 10³⁹ times weaker.⁵ I assure you, gravity is not what is keeping our molecules from flying apart.

The Earth exists in a vacuum - the vacuum of space, with only the major influences of Solar Heat and Light added to it. Imagine the Earth as a pot of stew, sitting on the stove with a lid on the top of it. It is continually warmed, and the ingredients mix together nicely. Light pours through the glass lid (atmosphere) and heat (from the sun) keeps the ingredients flowing, but it is pretty much contained to itself. Overtime, as you cook the ingredients, they become more and more homogenous (more entropic). You can see the Second Law at work on the Earth for yourself. How so? Water evaporates, iron rusts, mountains erode, and our landfills are only getting bigger. The Second Law affects every portion of Earth.

C'mon. Does the Second Law really Apply to the Earth?

Yes, it does. At least Professor Frank Lambert, of the Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA., believes so. He describes the many physical and Earthly processes that are explained by the Second Law on his website, secondlaw.com:

"The biggest, most powerful, most general idea in all of science. Why paper, trees, coal, gas and all things like them burn (and why people "should" spontaneously catch fire in air), why sand and dry ice even in pure oxygen can't ever burn, why the sun will eventually cool down, why iron rusts (but not why it rusts faster nearer the ocean), why there are hurricanes or any weather at all on earth, what makes things break, why houses get torn apart in tornadoes or explosions, why everything living tends to die." ⁶

What about Living Systems?

"Just a minute!" I could hear an Evolutionists say. "If the Second Law of Thermodynamics does apply to the Earth, then how is it that things grow on the earth. How is it that a seed can grow into a tree or a child into an adult human being? Does not life press against the Second Law of Thermodynamics?"

Objection Three: Living systems are physical systems. If the Second Law applies to all physical systems, then it must apply to living systems as well.

Well, the simplest answer, in rebuttal, is that living systems are different from physical systems. That's why they make a difference between the disciplines of physics and biology folks. If living systems are physical systems, how are the different? The answer is simple. Information. I'm talking about physical information - the arrangement of atoms and molecules.

Physical information is found in the number of possible arrangements of atoms in a system of atoms. Imagine it like this. You have the alphabet (which represent atoms), A, B, C, D, etc. When you put the letters of the alphabet in a particular arrangement, say in a poem or sentence, you have added information to the system of letters. It is in the arrangement of letters or atoms that information is found.

The difference between living (biological) systems and an ordinary physical system is the information that they contain. That information is self-reproducing, self-organizing, and presses against (without violating) the Second Law. This information is called Biological Information. Biological Information does not happen by chance. Where did this Biological Information come from then? It came from God. When God created life on planet Earth, by arranging specific molecules, He introduced Biological Information (Life) into the Earth. It did not happen by chance, as we will see in the article: Problems with the Primordial Soup.

Need More Evidence?

Let me ask you this. If the Second Law of Thermodynamics did not apply to the Earth, then how was it discovered in the first place? How did the scientist who first formulated the law figure out that it was a law of physics if the Second Law was not applicable to the Earth? I certainly don't believe they took a trip to Mars to figure out the Universe was headed toward an inevitable heat death.

Here is a history lesson. In 1850, Rudolf Clausius was the first to formulate the Second Law based on the observations of hundreds of years of research by former scientists.⁷ These observations included observations of the Earth, specifically Carnot's Engine. If these scientists used Earthly observations to formulate the Second Law, how then did it reach printed form if the Second Law did not apply to the Earth?

Thermodynamics of Open Systems

In the case that skeptics still remain, I will discuss the thermodynamics of open systems. Let us say that I am wrong, that the Second Law does not apply to the Earth. Do the thermodynamics of an open system allow for the formation of life? Not really. According to Dr. Sewell of the University of Texas El Paso Mathematics Department, the entropy of an open system may decrease only as much as the entropy entering the open system.⁸ The article continues with a mathematical formulation that effectively demonstrates this point. Dr. Sewell states that "if all we see entering [the Earth] is radiation and meteorite fragments, it seems clear that what is entering through the boundary cannot explain the increase in order observed here."⁸ Sunlight and meteorite fragments alone are not enough to explain the sudden appearance of life on Earth billions of years ago. The entropy of Sunlight added to an open system on the Earth is not enough to fuel abiogenesis.

Does Evolution really Violate the Second Law?

The evolutionary processes themselves (natural selection, etc.) do not violate this law. What does violate this law is the Theory of Abiogenesis. The belief that life can arise from a disordered collection of atoms and molecules into a fully functional living organism is a strong violation of the second law. Going from inanimate matter to a living organism is an (extremely) tremendous step. Once a living organism is formed, however, it become self-replicating and self-organizing, thus pressing against (without violating) the Second Law. Getting to that point is the problem. The article on the primordial soup covers this theory in detail.